Claudette Colvin facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Claudette Colvin
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Colvin in 1952 at age 13
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Claudette Austin
September 5, 1939 Montgomery, Alabama, U.S.
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| Died | January 13, 2026 (aged 86) Texas, U.S.
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| Occupation | Civil rights activist, nurse aide |
| Years active | 1969–2004 (as nurse aide) |
| Era | Civil rights movement (1954–1968) |
| Known for | Arrest at the age of 15 in Montgomery, Alabama for refusing to give up her seat to a white woman on a segregated bus, nine months before the similar Rosa Parks incident. |
| Children | 2 |
Claudette Colvin (born Claudette Austin; September 5, 1939 – January 13, 2026) was an important figure in the civil rights movement of the 1950s. She was also a nurse aide. On March 2, 1955, when she was just 15 years old, Claudette was arrested in Montgomery, Alabama. She refused to give up her seat to a white woman on a crowded bus. At that time, buses had separate sections for different races. This brave act happened nine months before Rosa Parks did something similar. Rosa Parks' action later helped start the famous Montgomery bus boycott.
Claudette Colvin was one of four people who took part in a big court case called Browder v. Gayle. This case was started by civil rights lawyer Fred Gray on February 1, 1956. It aimed to stop bus segregation in Montgomery. Claudette spoke in front of three judges in a United States district court. On June 13, 1956, the judges decided that laws forcing bus segregation in Alabama were against the Constitution. The state tried to appeal this decision, but the United States Supreme Court agreed with the lower court on November 13, 1956. A month later, the Supreme Court ordered Montgomery and Alabama to end bus segregation. The Montgomery bus boycott then ended. This ruling made all segregation on public transportation illegal.
For many years, Claudette's brave actions were not widely known. She once said that people often think Rosa Parks alone ended segregation. But Claudette's own story was a key part of that fight. Her case was not promoted by civil rights leaders at the time. This was because of her personal situation. Rosa Parks explained that if the news had focused on Claudette, it might have hurt the movement.
In 2021, a court officially cleared Claudette Colvin's record. Her arrest from over 66 years ago was removed. This recognized her act as courageous, not criminal.
Contents
Who Was Claudette Colvin?
Her Early Life and Family
Claudette Colvin was born Claudette Austin in Montgomery, Alabama, on September 5, 1939. Her birth parents were Mary Jane Gadson and C. P. Austin. When her father left, her mother could not support the children alone. Claudette and her younger sister, Delphine, went to live with their great aunt and uncle. Their names were Mary Anne and Q. P. Colvin. Claudette and Delphine took the Colvin last name.
The Colvins lived in Pine Level, a small town in Montgomery County, Alabama. This was the same town where Rosa Parks grew up. When Claudette was eight, her family moved to King Hill. This was a neighborhood in Montgomery, Alabama where she spent her childhood.
Sadly, Delphine, Claudette's sister, passed away from polio just before Claudette's 13th birthday. In September 1952, Claudette started at Booker T. Washington High School. She was a good student. She also joined the NAACP Youth Council. Here, she became close with her mentor, Rosa Parks.
Standing Up on the Bus
The Day of the Incident
In 1955, Claudette Colvin attended Booker T. Washington High School. She rode city buses to school because her family did not own a car. Most bus riders were African American. However, they faced unfair rules about where they could sit. Claudette was part of the NAACP Youth Council. She was learning about the civil rights movement in school.
On March 2, 1955, Claudette was riding home from school. She sat in a middle row on a Highland Gardens bus. Back then, if the "white seats" at the front filled up, Black passengers had to move. They had to make room for white people. A white woman boarded the bus and was left standing. The bus driver, Robert W. Cleere, told Claudette and three other Black women to move back. The other three women moved. But another Black woman, Ruth Hamilton, who was pregnant, sat next to Claudette.
The driver told both women to get up. Mrs. Hamilton said she would not move. She had paid her fare and did not want to stand. Claudette also refused to move. The driver then called the police. Officers Thomas J. Ward and Paul Headley arrived. They convinced a Black man behind the women to move. This allowed Mrs. Hamilton to move back. But Claudette still refused to give up her seat. She was taken off the bus and arrested. This happened nine months before Rosa Parks was arrested for a similar act.
Why Her Story Was Different
Claudette later shared that her mother told her to keep quiet. Her mother believed Rosa Parks would be a better symbol for the movement. This was because Rosa Parks was an adult. She also had lighter skin and was seen as more "acceptable." Claudette did not get the same attention as Rosa Parks. This was partly because she was a teenager. She also had a personal situation that leaders worried would distract from the cause. Civil rights leaders wanted to present the most "appealing" protesters.
When Claudette refused to move, she was thinking about unfair rules. She had written a school paper about how Black people could not try on clothes in department stores. She said, "If she sat down in the same row as me, it meant I was as good as her." Her classmate, Annie Larkins Price, remembered Claudette saying, "It's my constitutional right!" Claudette felt a strong connection to history. She felt like Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth were with her. She was handcuffed and removed from the bus. She kept shouting that her rights were being violated.
The police officers made Claudette feel very uncomfortable and scared during the ride to the station. She prayed to feel safe. Claudette was charged with disturbing the peace, breaking segregation laws, and assaulting a police officer. Her classmate, Annie Larkins Price, said there was no assault.
Leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. met to discuss Claudette's arrest. Her minister paid her bail. He told her she had started a revolution in Montgomery. Lawyer Fred Gray represented Claudette. She was found guilty of all charges in a juvenile court. Later, two charges were dropped. But her conviction for assaulting an officer remained.
Claudette's brave act was not a sudden decision. She had big dreams for political change. She even wanted to be the President of the United States. Her desire for justice grew after an incident involving her classmate, Jeremiah Reeves. His case showed her the work of the NAACP. Reeves faced serious legal trouble. His case highlighted unfairness in the justice system. It showed how young Black individuals were treated differently.
Fighting for Justice in Court
Claudette Colvin was one of four people who sued to end bus segregation. This happened in the important federal court case Browder v. Gayle. Civil rights lawyer Fred Gray filed the case on February 1, 1956. It challenged the unfair bus segregation laws in Montgomery, Alabama.
Claudette spoke to a panel of three judges in the United States District Court. On June 13, 1956, the court decided. It ruled that state and local laws forcing bus segregation were against the Constitution. The state of Alabama appealed this decision. But the United States Supreme Court agreed with the lower court. This happened on November 13, 1956.
One month later, the Supreme Court ordered Montgomery and Alabama to end bus segregation. This ruling officially ended the Montgomery Bus Boycott. The boycott had lasted for over a year. This decision also made all segregation on public transportation illegal.
Life After Her Brave Act
Claudette Colvin had a son named Raymond in March 1956. In 1958, she moved from Montgomery to New York City. It was hard for her to find and keep jobs in Montgomery. Many people in her community saw her as a "troublemaker." Rosa Parks also left Montgomery for Detroit in 1957. Claudette left college and struggled in her hometown.
In New York, Claudette and Raymond first lived with her older sister, Velma. In 1960, she had her second son, Randy. Claudette started working as a nurse's aide in a nursing home in Manhattan in 1969. She worked there for 35 years. She retired in 2004. Sadly, Raymond Colvin passed away in 1993 in New York. He was 37 years old. Her son Randy is an accountant in Atlanta. He is also a father to Claudette's four grandchildren.
Her Lasting Legacy
Claudette Colvin was a pioneer for the Montgomery bus boycott movement of 1955. This movement gained national attention. But Claudette rarely shared her story after moving to New York City. At the time, Black communities began to focus on Black businesses. They also worked towards integration. Major civil rights laws were passed later, in 1964 and 1965.
Many Black organizations felt that Rosa Parks was a better person to lead the fight against segregation. She was an adult with a job. She also had a middle-class appearance. They believed she could handle the public attention better.
Claudette was not the only woman whose story was less known. In the South, most civil rights leaders were men. This was partly because the NAACP wanted to present a certain image. Also, many women feared losing their jobs if they became too public.
In 2005, Claudette told the Montgomery Advertiser she was proud of her actions. She said, "I do feel like what I did was a spark and it caught on." She also said, "Let the people know Rosa Parks was the right person for the boycott. But also let them know that the attorneys took four other women to the Supreme Court to challenge the law that led to the end of segregation."
In 1998, Claudette reflected on her protest. She said she was tired of unfair treatment. She was tired of adults complaining without acting. She was ready for change. Her determination helped pave the way for others.
On May 20, 2018, Congressman Joe Crowley honored Claudette Colvin. He gave her a Congressional Certificate and an American flag. This was for her lifelong commitment to public service.
Honoring Claudette Colvin
Claudette Colvin often said she was not angry about less recognition. Instead, she felt a bit disappointed. She once compared history to how people say Columbus discovered America. But America was already populated. She believed history often focuses on a few main figures.
In 2016, Claudette and her family asked the Smithsonian Institution to give her more credit. They wanted her story to be more prominent in civil rights history. The National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) has a section for Rosa Parks. Claudette's family just wants the historical record to be accurate. They want Claudette's part of history to be included. Claudette was not officially invited to the museum's opening in September 2016. Her sister, Gloria Laster, said, "All we want is the truth, why does history fail to get it right?"
In 2000, Troy University at Montgomery opened the Rosa Parks Museum. It honors Montgomery's role in civil rights. Roy White, who led the project, asked Claudette to share her story in a video. But Claudette refused. She felt the museum had already decided its story.
In 2010, the street where Claudette lived as a girl was named Claudette Colvin Drive. It is in Montgomery, Alabama.
Reverend Joseph Rembert worked to honor Claudette. In 2017, the Montgomery Council passed a resolution. They declared March 2 as Claudette Colvin Day in Montgomery. Mayor Todd Strange presented the proclamation. He called her an "early foot soldier" in civil rights. Claudette could not attend due to health reasons.
In 2019, a statue of Rosa Parks was unveiled in Montgomery. Four granite markers were also placed nearby. These honored the four plaintiffs in Browder v. Gayle, including Claudette Colvin.
In 2021, Claudette asked a court to clear her juvenile record. Daryl Bailey, the District Attorney, supported her. He said her actions were "conscientious, not criminal." The judge ordered her record to be cleared and destroyed in December 2021. The judge stated Claudette's refusal was a "courageous act."
Also in 2021, a mural honoring Claudette Colvin was unveiled. It is located on Claudette Colvin Drive in Montgomery, Alabama.
Claudette Colvin in Books and TV
The former US Poet Laureate Rita Dove wrote a poem about Claudette. It is called "Claudette Colvin Goes To Work." It was published in her 1999 book On the Bus with Rosa Parks. Folk singer John McCutcheon turned this poem into a song.
A young adult book, Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice, was published in 2009. It was written by Phillip Hoose. This book won the National Book Award for Young People's Literature.
In the 2013 HBO show The Newsroom, a character talks about Claudette. He uses her refusal to follow segregation rules as an example. He explains how one act can change everything.
The Little-Known Heroes: Claudette Colvin is a children's picture book. It was written by Kaushay and Spencer Ford. It was published in 2021.
In 2022, a movie about Claudette Colvin was announced. It is called Spark. Niceole R. Levy wrote it, and Anthony Mackie directed it. Saniyya Sidney was cast as Claudette Colvin.
Images for kids
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Colvin at the San Francisco Public Library, January 2005.
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Colvin speaking at Bethany Baptist Church for Women's History Month, 2014.
See also
In Spanish: Claudette Colvin para niños
