Claudette Colvin, was a significant but often overlooked figure in the early civil rights movement. At just 15 years old, on March 2, 1955, she was arrested in Montgomery, Alabama, for refusing to give up her bus seat to a white passenger. This act of defiance occurred nine months before Rosa Parks’ similar protest that sparked the Montgomery Bus Boycott.
Colvin grew up in a segregated society, and attended Booker T. Washington High School, where she was inspired by African American leaders like Harriet Tubman, and Sojourner Truth. Her refusal to move on the bus was rooted in her understanding of civil rights and the injustice of segregation laws.
Colvin played a crucial role in challenging segregation laws. She was one of four plaintiffs in the landmark “Browder v. Gayle” case that led to the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling in 1956 declaring bus segregation unconstitutional. This victory was instrumental in ending segregation on public transportation.Click the links below to learn more:(1) www.history.com
