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Who Is Claudette Colvin?
Claudette Colvin is a pioneering civil rights activist who, months before Rosa Parks, refused to give up her seat on a segregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama. At just 15 years old, she was arrested for defying the city’s segregation laws and went on to become one of the plaintiffs in the landmark case Browder v. Gayle, which ultimately led to the desegregation of Montgomery’s bus system. Colvin later moved to New York City, where she worked as a nurse’s aide until her retirement in 2004.
Early Life
Born on September 5, 1939, in Montgomery, Alabama, Colvin grew up in a poor neighborhood. Despite these challenges, she excelled academically, earning high grades and dreaming of one day becoming president. On March 2, 1955, while riding home on a city bus after school, Colvin was ordered by the driver to give up her seat to a white passenger. She refused, asserting her constitutional right to remain seated. “I felt like Sojourner Truth was pushing down on one shoulder and Harriet Tubman was pushing down on the other—saying, ‘Sit down girl!'” Colvin later recalled, describing the powerful sense of historical duty she felt in that moment.
Arrest for Violating Segregation Laws
After refusing to surrender her seat, Colvin was arrested on multiple charges, including violating segregation laws. She spent several hours in jail, fearful of potential retaliation, as racial tensions were high in Montgomery. Her minister eventually posted bail, and she returned home, where she and her family spent the night anxiously awaiting possible repercussions.
While the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) initially considered using Colvin’s case to challenge segregation laws, they decided against it due to her youth and the controversy surrounding her status as an unwed mother. Colvin gave birth to her son, Raymond, in 1956. In court, she maintained her innocence, but the court ruled against her, placing her on probation. The public backlash, however, was severe. Colvin’s reputation suffered, leading her to drop out of college and struggle to find employment due to her association with the case.
Plaintiff in Browder v. Gayle
Despite the personal hardships she faced, Colvin became one of four plaintiffs in the Browder v. Gayle case, alongside Aurelia S. Browder, Susie McDonald, and Mary Louise Smith. The case, filed by attorneys Fred Gray and Charles D. Langford, challenged the constitutionality of Montgomery’s segregated bus system. In 1956, the court ruled in their favor, declaring the city’s bus segregation unconstitutional, a significant victory for the civil rights movement.
Two years later, Colvin moved to New York City, where she had a second son, Randy, and worked as a nurse’s aide in Manhattan. She retired in 2004.
Legacy and Claudette Colvin Goes to Work
While Rosa Parks is widely celebrated for her role in challenging segregation, Colvin’s early act of defiance is often overlooked. However, her contributions to the civil rights movement have gained recognition in recent years. Poet Rita Dove wrote “Claudette Colvin Goes to Work,” a piece later set to music, and author Phillip Hoose chronicled her story in the young adult biography Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice.
Though Colvin’s role in desegregating Montgomery’s buses has not been as publicly acknowledged as Parks’, her actions were instrumental in the success of the civil rights movement. As her former attorney Fred Gray noted, “Claudette gave all of us moral courage. If she had not done what she did, I am not sure that we would have been able to mount the support for Mrs. Parks.”