Claudette Colvin was born Claudette Austin in Montgomery, AL on September 5, 1939. After her father left, and her mother could not afford to care for her and her sister any longer, she moved in with her great aunt and uncle, taking their last name. Her younger sister, Delphine, died of polio shortly before Claudette turned 13.
Colvin did well in school, receiving mostly A’s. Claudette was also active in the NAACP Youth Council at Booker T. Washington High School. There she also worked under her mentor, Rosa Parks.
Colvin was well aware of the racial divide in the country at the time, and used her natural hair as a form of protest, since straightening it was considered the norm. After learning about Black heroes like Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth during Negro History Month, Colvin was determined and ready to make her own mark on the world.
On March 2, 1955, Claudette was on her way home from school, when the driver of the public bus demanded that she move to accommodate a White woman. The other children she was sitting with moved, but Claudette refused. She has stated that she felt like Sojourner Truth and Harriet Tubman were weighing down her shoulders and telling her to stand her ground.
Colvin, who was just 15 at the time, was ripped from her seat and arrested. She has stated that in addition to her aggressive arrest, she was also the target of lewd comments, but the seriousness of the situation didn’t occur to Claudette until the cell door slammed and she was alone in the city jail, where she remained until her mother and pastor bailed her out. She has stated that she was terrified to be in jail alone because of the unknown.
Claudette was arrested on several charges, including violating the city’s segregation laws. Claudette’s refusal to give up her seat came 9 months before Rosa Parks did the same. Rosa’s refusal made headlines and spawned the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Although Claudette’s refusal came first, her age and unplanned pregnancy out of wedlock prevented the NAACP from using her as the face of a movement. Parks would fill that role as an established member of the NAACP.
In 1956, Claudette Colvin gave birth to a son, Raymond. Later in 1956, Claudette Colvin became one of three plaintiffs in Browder v. Gayle, which challenged segregation laws in Montgomery. The three judges ruled in their favor and the US Supreme court upheld that decision.
Although Claudette Colvin was crucial to the Civil Rights Movement, her story was mostly unknown until much later. After her refusal to give up her seat, she decided to move from Alabama to New York. In later years, she stated how proud she was of her action that day, and recently, her family has fought for recognition for her brave act. In 2018, she was recognized by Congressman Joe Crowley for contributions to the Civil Rights Movement. March 2nd is also known as Claudette Colvin Day as of 2019, and granite markers recognize her and her co-plaintiffs. Today, Colvin still resides in New York with her family.
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Kassidy Garland has had a great appreciation for reading and writing since she was young. She graduated from West Chester University in 2017 with a Bachelor’s Degree in English & Women and Gender Studies. With a concentration in creative writing, Kassidy has 5 years of experience writing blogs, articles, and for social media. Kassidy is also pursuing a Master’s degree in IT with a concentration in Web Development. Based out of Philadelphia, Kassidy loves to write about a number of topics and looks forward to sharing her passion with those at FunTimes Magazine.
