Claudette Colvin
Claudette Colvin is an important but often overlooked figure in the American civil rights movement. Born on September 5, 1939, in Montgomery, Alabama, she made headlines in March 1955 at the age of fifteen when she refused to give up her seat on a segregated city bus to a white passenger. This act of defiance occurred nine months before Rosa Parks' more famous protest, and it led to Colvin's arrest and a significant legal battle. Along with other African American women, she later sued the bus company, and their case ultimately contributed to the desegregation of Montgomery's buses, as confirmed by a landmark ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court.
Despite her crucial role, Colvin did not achieve the same level of recognition as other civil rights leaders. Her life was profoundly affected by her protest; she faced challenges in her education and employment and was labeled a troublemaker. However, her story gained wider attention when author Phillip Hoose published a book about her in 2009, helping to introduce her contributions to a new generation. Colvin's legacy was further acknowledged in 2017 when the city of Montgomery declared March 2 as Claudette Colvin Day, honoring her bravery and significant impact on the struggle for civil rights.
Claudette Colvin
Civil rights activist, nurse's aide
- Born: September 5, 1939
- Place of Birth: Montgomery, Alabama, United States
Significance: In 1955, Claudette Colvin was an African American teenager who refused to give up her seat on a city bus to a White passenger—nine months before civil rights activist Rosa Parks became famous for doing the very same thing. At the time, the buses in Montgomery were segregated, and Colvin was required by law to give up her seat to white passengers. Colvin was arrested. Eventually, she and other African American women sued the bus company, and their lawsuit helped desegregate the Montgomery buses. Although Colvin played an important role in the civil rights movement, she is not as famous as Parks and other civil rights figures. A book published in 2009 helped introduce Colvin's story to many more Americans.
Background
Claudette Colvin was born on September 5, 1939, in Montgomery, Alabama. Colvin attended a struggling high school. She was an attentive student who received high marks in many of her classes. On March 2, 1955, at the age of just fifteen, she was ordered to give up her seat on a Montgomery city bus for a white passenger. Colvin felt compelled to stay in her seat and refused to move. Colvin was breaking the law, which required African Americans to give up their seats for white passengers. The police were called. Two adult male police officers pulled Colvin from the bus, kicked her, handcuffed her, and took her to jail. The police officers did not allow Colvin to make a phone call once she reached the jail. Colvin's experience was terrible, but it was not uncommon in Alabama and many other parts of the country. When Colvin was allowed to go home, she and her family stayed up all night in case of any reprisal for her protest.
Life's Work
The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) learned about Colvin's protest and arrest. They considered taking her case and promoting it in the public to help the civil rights movement. Colvin, however, was known for being emotional and outspoken. The NAACP worried about Colvin's involvement as the public face of the civil rights movement. Then, Colvin became pregnant, and the NAACP did not want to draw even more attention to her court battle. Colvin still had to go to court on the charges, though. She entered a not guilty plea, but the court found her guilty, and she was placed on probation.
Colvin's legal battle and her protest had a big impact on her life. The situation gave her a reputation as a troublemaker, which impacted her schoolwork. She eventually dropped out of college. She found it difficult to find a job after her ordeal, too.
By that time, Colvin's story had begun to spread around Alabama. An NAACP secretary named Rosa Parks heard about Colvin's protest. Nine months after Colvin was arrested, Parks refused to give up her own seat on a Montgomery bus. Parks's act of defiance became very well-known and led to the Montgomery Bus Boycott. During the boycott, African Americans refused to ride the buses in Montgomery until they were desegregated. The boycott helped propel the civil rights movement in the South.
Although Colvin made nearly the same demonstration as Parks, her protest did not become as famous. Nevertheless, Colvin played a bigger part in ending the segregation of the Montgomery buses than is widely known. Colvin—along with Aurelia S. Browder, Susie McDonald, and Mary Louise Smith—sued the bus company. In the case Browder v. Gayle, the women argued that the segregation of the buses was unconstitutional. Fred Gray and Charles D. Langford, who were attorneys in Montgomery, filed the lawsuit on behalf of the women. The women won the suit, but the defense appealed the decision. The case eventually made its way to the US Supreme Court. The Supreme Court upheld the decision, stating that the statute for segregating buses was unconstitutional. As a result, the buses had to be desegregated. The success of the bus desegregation is one of the best remembered events of the civil rights movement.
Colvin left Montgomery before the trial in Browder v. Gayle took place, though she did return to testify in the case. She worked as a nurse's aide in Manhattan, New York. Colvin did not talk about her experience in Montgomery, in part because her mother had warned against it. Colvin's mother did not want her daughter to receive any negative attention from the case. Colvin lived and worked in New York for thirty-five years before retiring in 2004.
In the early 2000s, an author named Phillip Hoose learned about Colvin's protest while doing research for a children's book he was writing. He eventually tracked down Colvin, though she was hesitant about telling her story to Hoose. Eventually, Colvin agreed to be interviewed. Hoose wrote the book Claudette Colvin: Twice toward Justice about her experience. It won the National Book Award in 2009 and introduced Colvin's story to many young people who had never heard of her.
Impact
Colvin is not as famous as other civil rights figures, such as Rosa Parks. Nonetheless, Colvin made an important impact on the civil rights movement. Historians believe that Parks's protest and the bus boycott would not have been the same if it had not been for Colvin. Colvin's protest and the protest of another African American teenager likely helped inspire Parks to refuse to give up her seat on the bus. Colvin, Parks, and many other African Americans helped bring about important changes during the civil rights movement. In 2017, March 2 was declared Claudette Colvin Day by the city of Montgomery.
Personal Life
Colvin had a son, Raymond, in March 1956. She eventually gave birth to a second son after moving from Montgomery.
Bibliography
Adler, Margot. "Before Rosa Parks, There Was Claudette Colvin." NPR, 15 Mar. 2009, www.npr.org/2009/03/15/101719889/before-rosa-parks-there-was-claudette-colvin. Accessed 27 Sept. 2024.
Barnes, Brooks. "From Footnote to Fame in Civil Rights History." New York Times, 25 Nov. 2009, www.nytimes.com/2009/11/26/books/26colvin.html. Accessed 27 Sept. 2024.
"Claudette Colvin." Famous African Americans, www.famousafricanamericans.org/claudette-colvin. Accessed 27 Sept. 2024.
Colvin, Claudette. "Claudette Colvin Explains Her Role in the Civil Rights Movement." Interview. Teen Vogue, 19 Oct. 2017, www.teenvogue.com/story/claudette-colvin-explains-her-role-in-the-civil-rights-movement. Accessed 27 Sept. 2024.
Littlejohn, Anna. "Living Civil Rights Legend Claudette Colvin." The Black Wall Street Times, 11 Mar. 2024, theblackwallsttimes.com/2024/03/11/living-civil-rights-legend-claudette-colvin/. Accessed 27 Sept. 2024.
Ross, Janell. "Rosa Parks Is the Name You Know. Claudette Colvin Is a Name You Probably Should." Washington Post, 1 Dec. 2015, www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2015/12/01/rosa-parks-the-name-you-know-claudette-colvin-the-one-too-many-dont/?utm‗term=.5204554cfe01. Accessed 27 Sept. 2024.