Viola White facts for kids
Viola White (1911–1954) was an African-American woman who lived in Montgomery, Alabama. She is known for bravely standing up against unfair bus laws that separated people based on their race. In 1944, when she was 35 years old, White was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a bus. This happened ten years before Rosa Parks did something similar, which helped start the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Viola White worked at Maxwell Air Force Base.
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Viola White's Story
Standing Up on the Bus
Viola White is most remembered for her brave act in 1944. While riding a bus in Montgomery, Alabama, the driver told her to give up her seat because of the segregation laws. She refused to move. The driver then threatened to make her leave, but she still stood her ground.
The police were called. When they arrived, they removed her from the bus and arrested her. She was found guilty and had to pay a $10 fine. With help from a civil rights leader named E.D. Nixon, White tried to appeal her case many times. Nixon said that the city of Montgomery knew they would lose if the case went to court. So, they used their power to stop her appeals from ever being heard by a judge.
After White tried to appeal her charges, local police officers caused problems for her. During one incident, her daughter remembered the officer's car license plate number. E.D. Nixon tried many times to get a judge to sign an arrest warrant for the officer. Once the warrant was signed, the Police Chief warned the officer. The officer left town and was not arrested or fired.
Her Legacy and Impact
Viola White passed away ten years after her bus incident. At the time of her death, her appeal had still not been heard in court.
However, her case taught civil rights activists in Montgomery important lessons. According to E.D. Nixon, how White's case was handled helped them plan for future cases against segregation. It especially influenced how Rosa Parks's case was handled after her arrest in 1955. The organizers learned that to truly challenge bus segregation, cases needed to go to a federal court, not just local courts.
Nixon explained that they paid Rosa Parks' fine in a lower court, but they knew the city might try to delay her case, just like they did with Viola White's. They decided to take Parks' case and others directly to federal court. This led to the federal case called Browder v. Gayle, which eventually ended bus segregation in Montgomery. From Viola White's experience, they learned that if Parks' appeals stayed in local courts, they could be delayed for years.
About Viola White's Life
Not much information is known about Viola White's early life. The 1940 Census shows that she was born in Alabama in 1911. It also says she had no formal education.
White's husband passed away before 1940, and his name is not known. She had three daughters: Dorothy Williams (born 1930), Helen Mapson (born 1932), and Addie Harris (born 1935).
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