By creating an account, you acknowledge that PBS may share your information with our member stations and our respective service providers, and that you have read and understand the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use. The motion represents long overdue justice, said Ensler. But first, we need you to sign in to PBS using one of the services below. Ward and Paul Headley were called who tried to make the girl move. But on a fateful day in 1955, Colvin decided to fight for her civil rights. Claudette Colvin aged 15. She did not marry. 
Colvins subversive actions led to a trial, during which she testified before three judges. You've just tried to add this show to My List. Improved homework resources designed to support a variety of curriculum subjects and standards. She had another baby boy while living in New York. Biography, Henry Louis Gates Jr. and Evelyn Brooks Higginbotham, eds. Colvin. In July 2014, Claudette Colvin's story was documented in a television episode of Drunk History (Montgomery, AL (Season 2, Episode 1)). This then also influenced the Montgomery bus boycott, which was called off after the Supreme Courts ruling to end bus segregation in Alabama. 
Shes famous for being arrested for refusing to give up her seat to a white woman on a crowded, segregated bus. On March 2, 1955, she was arrested at the age of 15 in Montgomery, Alabama, for refusing to give up her seat to a white woman on a crowded, segregated bus.
Colvin sought to counter racial injustice at an early age. However, this provision of the local law was usually ignored. Her story serves as a reminder that the civil rights movement was more carefully strategized than it sometimes seemed, that womens roles in achieving equality were greater than most people realize, and that young people have always been a powerful force for change. While still a teenager, she became pregnant with her first child. Claudette Colvin Refused to Give Up Her Bus Seat Nine Months Before Rosa Parks, Photo: Dudley M. Brooks/The The Washington Post via Getty Images, Claudette Colvin in 2020; Photo: Craig Barritt/Getty Images for Tory Burch Foundation. WebClaudette Colvin (born Claudette Austin; September 5, 1939) is an American pioneer of the 1950s civil rights movement and retired nurse aide. Claudette Colvin was born in 1939 in Montgomery, Alabama. Colvin was born Claudette Austin in Montgomery, Alabama, on September 5, 1939, to Mary Jane Gadson and C. P. Austin. Her neighborhood was a very impoverished one where even routine life was a struggle for most. She is a retired African American nurse aide and activist who was a pioneer of the 1950s civil rights movement. This incident made Claudette realize how vulnerable blacks were in her city. Choose a language from the menu above to view a computer-translated version of this page. I just dont want us to regress as a race, as a minority group, and give up hope. Claudette Colvin, a nurses aide and Civil Rights Movement activist, was born on September 5, 1939, in Birmingham, Alabama. Colvin is 83 years old as of September 2022. In late 2022, Colvin petitioned the Montgomery Circuit Court to expunge her 1955 arrest record, and on December 16, 2022, Montgomery Circuit Court judge Calvin Williams cleared her of all charges. WebClaudette Austin was born in Birmingham, Jefferson County, to Mary Jane Gadson and C. P. Austin on September 5, 1939. Her ride went without incident, until she was asked to move to the back of the bus and give her seat to a white passenger. The Unbelievable Crimes Of America's 11 Most Infamous Serial Killers, 35 Eerie Photos Of Abandoned Malls That Are Now Ruins Of A Lost Era, What Stephen Hawking Thinks Threatens Humankind The Most, 27 Raw Images Of When Punk Ruled New York, Join The All That's Interesting Weekly Dispatch. While she was in school, a very disturbing incident happened that would remain with her for life. The boycott culminated in the desegregation of public transportation in Alabama and throughout the country. Colvin moved to New York in 1958, where she found a job as a nurses aide in a nursing home in Manhattan. The daughter of Mary Jane Gadson and C. P. On March 2, 1955, Colvin decided to stay in her seat on a bus when she was asked to move for a white woman. There had been many discussions within the black community about boycotting the buses before, but divisions and fears within it had thus far prevented a boycott from taking place. I know in my heart that she was the right person, Colvin said of Parks, who used to make Colvin peanut butter crackers and invite her to sleepovers at her apartment back when they were both living in Montgomery. She learnt about the civil rights movement in school and was a member of the NAACP Youth Council. Well never share your email with anyone else, Dr. Wangari Maathai: The story of a leader in social, environmental, and political activism and first African woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize, Towards Hawaiian Sovereignty: Legacy of Dr. Haunani-Kay Trask, Chronicles of American Women: Your History Makers, Women Writing History: A Coronavirus Journaling Project, We Who Believe in Freedom: Black Feminist DC, Learning Resources on Women's Political Participation. And the judge on Colvins case, Calvin L. Williams, also sees her as someone to admire, not condemn. How Nan Goldin Waged War Against Big Pharma, How the Greensboro Four Began the Sit-In Movement, Biography: You Need to Know: Bayard Rustin, Biography: You Need to Know: Sylvia Rivera, Biography: You Need to Know: Dorothy Pittman Hughes. Accessible across all of today's devices: phones, tablets, and desktops. A black teenage boy, Jeremiah Reeves was caught having sex with a white woman. Today, Colvin is standing by what she said. Colvin moves to New York and starts working as a nurses aide. She had been sitting far behind the seats already reserved for whites, and although a city ordinance empowered bus drivers to enforce segregation, blacks could not be asked to give up a seat in the Negro section of the bus for a white person when it was crowded. With March 2 now known as Claudette Colvin Day in Montgomery, and the city unveiling granite markers to commemorate Colvin and her three co-plaintiffs in late 2019, it seems more recognition is finally coming for the overlooked hero who helped set the wheels of a new era in motion. All Rights Reserved. Colvin grew up in a poor black neighborhood ofMontgomery, Alabama. Colvin suspected that her darker skin may have also had something to do with the decision. WebClaudette Colvin, Activist born. WebClaudette Colvin was an important figure in the civil rights movement. Many of the people most involved in the city's emerging civil rights leadership were middle class and didn't use the buses, and many of the laborers and domestics who did were fearful of losing their jobs if they challenged the system. Rosa Parks became a civil rights icon when she refused to give up her seat to a white passenger on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama on December 1, 1955. WebClaudette Colvin, Activist born. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4uvoFOkiN4M. After translating an article, all tools except font up/font down will be disabled. It is widely accepted that Colvin was not accredited by the civil rights campaigners at the time due to her pregnancy shortly after the incident, with evenRosa Parkssaying "If the white press got ahold of that information, they would have had a field day. Austin, but she was raised by her great-aunt and great-uncle, Mary Ann and Q.P. Colvin is a civil rights activist and pioneer of the 1950s U.S. civil rights movement. Claudette Colvin was just 15 when she made her stand. Claudette Colvin did not disappear but she did live a relatively quiet life after her bus protest. She testified before the three-judge panel that heard the case in aUnited States district court. In 1955, Claudette Colvin, a high school student in Montgomery, Alabama boarded the city bus. On March 2, 1955, Claudette Colvin boarded a bus at Bibb and Commerce Streets in Montgomery, an ordinary ritual but one that provided daily humiliations for the city's African American population. Colvin is nothing short of a civil rights hero and will always be remembered for her bravery and contribution to the cause. WebClaudette Colvin was an important figure in the civil rights movement. *Claudette Colvinwas born this date in 1939. (New York: Oxford University Press, 2008); Darlene Clark Hine, et al., In 2019 a statue ofRosa Parkswas unveiled in Montgomery, Alabama, and four granite markers were also unveiled near the statue on the same day to honor four plaintiffs inBrowder v. Gayle, including Colvin. Born In: Montgomery, Alabama, United States, U.S. State: Alabama, African-American From Alabama, See the events in life of Claudette Colvin in Chronological Order, (Pioneer of the 1950s Civil Rights Movement). This so-called assault, said her lawyer, Phillip Ensler, could be something as small as accidentally stepping on an officers toes. After her arrest, Colvin was placed on indefinite probation and was not notified that her probation ended when she turned 18. Keep the faith, keep on going and keep on fighting.. Colvin and Parks along with other early protestors sparked a yearlong boycott of the Montgomery bus system. In 2017, the Montgomery Council passed a resolution for a proclamation honoring Colvin. Early Life Colvin was born on September 5, 1939, in Montgomery, Alabama. Colvin and her classmates also discussed the unfairness of segregation. WebIn 1955, Claudette Colvin, a high school student in Montgomery, Alabama boarded the city bus. Im not doing it for me, Im 82 years old, Colvin told The New York Times. She sees both her protest and her motion to expunge her record as small moments in the longer arc of justice. Colvin was also a member of the localNAACPYouth Council, where she formed a close relationship with her overseer:Rosa Parks. The police were called and they dragged a crying Colvin off the bus. With the arrest of Parks, Robinson seized the opportunity to protest the bus system's systematic discrimination and pushed the WPC to get to work. Closed Captioning. In December of that year, Rosa Parks was arrested when she refused to give up her seat on a Montgomery bus to a white passenger. She was sitting in the middle and was asked to vacate her seat for a white person who was standing. When two Montgomery police officers arrived, Colvin still refused to move. The three other plaintiffs in that case were also women who had been discriminated against by bus drivers much like Colvin. Colvin decided to speak about her case only after she retired as a nurses aide in New York City, New York in 2004. Shes famous for being arrested for refusing to give up her seat to a white woman on a crowded, segregated bus. At first, Claudette Colvins arrest was seen as a huge deal among civil rights leaders who wanted to use her case to further their cause. *Claudette Colvin was born this date in 1939. She was born on September 5, 1939. The lock fell into place with a heavy sound. All Rights Reserved. How Claudette Colvin Became The Unsung Hero Of The Civil Rights Movement. She learned about Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, and other important African Americans in history. He was just an average-looking fellow its not like he was Kobe Bryant or anything, Colvin said. Early Life Colvin was born on September 5, 1939, in Montgomery, Alabama. Born to Mary Jane Gadson and C. P. Austin, Colvin and her family moved to Montgomery, AL, when she was eight years old. Montgomery County District Attorney Daryl Bailey announced his support of the motion, saying, Her actions back in March of 1955 were conscientious, not criminal; inspired, not illegal; they should have led to praise and not prosecution.. The Colvins adopted Claudette and Delphine, and the sisters took their In 2016, she and her family pushed for more content on her role in the Montgomery Bus Boycott at the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. A street in Montgomery was named for her and March 2, 2017, was designated Claudette Colvin Day by the city. And as one might expect, Parks loved Colvins story about her bus protest and she would reportedly make her tell it a million times.. Despite her immeasurable contributions to the cause, Colvin continued to find life in Alabama difficult in the years after her fateful bus ride. WebClaudette Colvin (born Claudette Austin; September 5, 1939) is an American pioneer of the 1950s civil rights movement and retired nurse aide. This was a time of intense racial divide, and Colvin was a victim of it along with the rest. People think it was just about a seat on a bus but it was about so much more than that., So far, all signs indicate that Colvins records will be expunged without any problems. On March 2, 1955, she was arrested at the age of 15 in Montgomery, Alabama, for refusing to give up her seat to a white woman on a crowded, segregated bus. And Claudette is not just black, but has a darker shade of black, and thus discrimination was not alien to her. Claudette Colvin, a nurses aide and Civil Rights Movement activist, was born on September 5, 1939, in Birmingham, Alabama. Claudette Colvin was born on September 5, 1939, in Birmingham, Alabama. I knew then and I know now that, when it comes to justice, there is no easy way to get it, Colvin once said. Did you know Jane Addams had a spinal defect that required surgery? Claudette Colvin and her guardians relocated to Montgomery when she was eight. Survey data is powered by Wisevoter and Scholaroo, Accelerate ACL Awareness Among Young Women Day, National SI 5 Star Phone Certification Day. She was a good and strong person, accepted by more people than were ready to accept me. Her parents were Mary Jane Gadson and C.P. This injustice is reflected in the fact that to this day, Colvin isnt as known a figure as Parks is. With the boycott underway, tensions in Montgomery were high. The remaining plaintiffs in Browder v. Gayle were Aurelia S. Browder, Susie McDonald, Mary Louise Smith, and Jeanetta Reese. Colvin fought for the same cause in the same city as Parks. WebColvin was born on September 5, 1939, in Birmingham, Alabama, and later lived with her family in Montgomery. On March 2, 1955, she was arrested at the age of 15 in Montgomery, Alabama, for refusing to give up her seat to a white woman on a crowded, segregated bus. Public DomainThe NAACP threw their weight behind Rosa Parks, not Colvin, who refused to move to the back of a Montgomery bus nine months later. https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/claudette-colvin-5406.php. She was a bright girl, intelligent and curious. Claudette Colvin refused to give up her bus seat to a white woman in Montgomery, Ala., in March 1955, nine months before Rosa Parks. Joseph Rembert said, If nobody did anything for Claudette Colvin in the past why dont we do something for her right now? He reached out to Montgomery Councilmen Charles Jinright and Tracy Larkin to make it happen. Ruth E. Martin, Colvin, Claudette, African American National However, others have suggested that Colvin becoming pregnant after the incident was what caused her to be passed over. She later lived with her family in Montgomery. She attended a high school for African American students, where she was inspired by Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, and other important African Americans in history. This occurred some nine months before the more widely known incident in With the success of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, Civil Rights activists turned their attention to the integration of public schools. Colvin was disappointed that she did not get more recognition for her actions. Its somewhat of a full circle, historically, that an African American judge such as myself can sit in judgment of a request such as this to give Ms. Claudette Colvin really the justice that she so long deserved, he said. Taken to a prison, Claudette was terrifiedwhat would the police do her now? My mother told me to be quiet about what I did. She and three other Black students were told to give up their seats for a white woman. She attended a high school for African American students, where she was inspired by Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, and other important African Americans in history. Claudette Colvin was born to C.P. Claudette Colvin refused to give up her bus seat to a white woman in Montgomery, Ala., in March 1955, nine months before Rosa Parks. toyourinbox. Its an important reminder that crucial change is often ignited by very plain, unremarkable people who then disappear.. This incident took place just nine months before the famous Rosa Parks sparked the 9055 Montgomery Bus Boycott. At birth, she was adopted by C. P. Colvin and Mary Anne Colvin, who lived in a poor neighborhood in Montgomery, Alabama. You cant sugarcoat it. WebClaudette Colvin (born September 5, 1939) is a retired American nurse aide who was a pioneer of the 1950s civil rights movement. The historic court case to which Claudette Colvin became one of five plaintiffs, Browder v. Gayle, 142 F. Supp. Nkenge Tour is an activist whose expansive collection of speeches and written works confront issues around reproductive justice, Black feminism, and womens rights. A few months later, Rosa Parks, another Montgomery resident and a member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), was traveling home on the bus. Take the contradictions Her brave action came nine months before Rosa Parks also refused to give up her seat. Due to this, her actions were broadly overlooked when compared to contemporary activists like Rosa Parks. WebIn 1955, Claudette Colvin, a high school student in Montgomery, Alabama boarded the city bus. Now 82, she says that justice from the court system is overdue. On December 20, 1956, the Supreme Court upheld a lower court decision that stated it was unconstitutional to discriminate on public transit. Parks, on the other hand, was praised for having a stoic personality and natural gravitas and she also had much more experience working with the civil rights movement. Please note: Text within images is not translated, some features may not work properly after translation, and the translation may not accurately convey the intended meaning. She learned about Sojourner Truth, Harriet Tubman, and other important African Americans in history. Copyright 2023 Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), all rights reserved. Photograph: AP. Claudette Colvin was born on September 5th, 1939 in Montgomery, AL. To share with more than one person, separate addresses with a comma. With ample cheer; After the boycott, Colvin and her family moved to New York, where she remained for 50 years before moving back to Alabama in 2004. Claudette Colvin was born on September 5, 1939, in Montgomery, Alabama. Austin, but she was raised by her great-aunt and great-uncle, Mary Ann and Q.P. Claudette Colvin was born on September 5, 1939, in Montgomery, Alabama. Claudette Colvin Husband Married Son The court sentenced her to indefinite probation and declared her to be a ward of the state. Even though just 15 years old at that time, Claudette knew that it was her right to sit anywhere in the bus as she had bought a ticket. WebClaudette Colvin was born on September 5, 1939 in Montgomery, Alabama, USA. The Colvins adopted Claudette and Delphine, and the sisters took their Mayor Todd Strange presented the proclamation and, when speaking of Colvin, said, She was an early foot soldier in our civil rights, and we did not want this opportunity to go by without declaring March 2 as Claudette Colvin Day to thank her for her leadership in the modern day civil rights movement. Rembert said, I know people have heard her name before, but I just thought we should have a day to celebrate her. Colvin could not attend the proclamation due to health concerns. In December 2019, Colvin was included on one of four granite historical markers dedicated along with the Rosa Parks statue on Dexter Avenue in Montgomery. Then 15 years old, she had been riding home from school when a white woman stepped on the crowded bus. Colvin. 20072023 Blackpast.org. Claudette Colvin at age 13, April 20,1953. How have Indigenous people exercised sovereignty and self-determination in the modern world? Get our quarterly newsletter to stay up-to-date, plus all speech or video narrative bookings near you as they happen. Colvin served as a witness for the case, Browder v. Gayle, which eventually reached the U.S. Supreme Court. Before you submit an error, please consult our Troubleshooting Guide. She had two sisters, Delphine and Velma.
In the years following the boycott, Colvin's earlier activism and arrest would virtually be forgotten. The four were named plaintiffs in Browder v. Gayle, a federal lawsuit that challenged the constitutionality of Montgomery's segregation laws. Although Colvins actions were a predecessor to the Montgomery Bus Boycott movement of 1955, she rarely told her story. Although Colvins actions predated the more famous actions of Rosa Parks by nine months, she is much less well known. Every day is a holiday!Receive fresh holidays directly This brave civil rights activist and leader made waves in the U.S. at the time. After her pastor bailed her out, Black leaders like Martin Luther King Jr. praised her and began to share her story. Biography and associated logos are trademarks of A+E Networksprotected in the US and other countries around the globe. She remained uncredited for her actions for years presumably at the time being considered to be an unappealing icon when compared to Parks, due to her being pregnant and unmarried. To parry stones She later lived with her family in Montgomery. She recognized the inequality for African Americans on public transportation, but was unable to gain support for a large-scale boycott. WebClaudette Austin was born in Birmingham, Jefferson County, to Mary Jane Gadson and C. P. Austin on September 5, 1939. She is a retired African American nurse aide and activist who was a pioneer of the1950s civil rights movement. It sounded final.. The black community was starting to hail her as a pioneer in African-American civil rights movement when she discovered that she was pregnant. Her rebellious nature was apparent from a young age. She refused, saying she had a right to sit there. However, since she became pregnant soon after the incident, black civil rights activists refused to recognize her as a pioneer. I wasn't going to go to Alabama State College, where they taught you how to teach school, but didn't teach you how to get your freedom. As the officers swore at her and hit her with a nightstick, Colvin was dragged off the bus and later arrested and charged with disorderly conduct and violating the city's. Born in September 1939, Colvin was raised by her great-aunt and uncle in rural Pine Level, Alabama, before moving to Montgomery at age 8. She told me to let Rosa be the one. Some members of a civil rights group (the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) thought that Colvins case could bring attention to the injustice of segregation. Claudette Colvin was born on September 5, 1939, in Montgomery, Alabama. Claudette Colvin occasionally spent time at Rosa Parkss apartment. Trivia (6) Colvin never married but gave birth to two sons, the first was Raymond Colvin (b. December 1955, died 1993). In July 2014, Claudette Colvin's story was documented in a television episode of Drunk History (Montgomery, AL (Season 2, Episode 1)). Photograph: AP. On June 13, 1956, the judges determined that the state and local laws requiring bus segregation in Alabama were unconstitutional. Trivia (6) Colvin never married but gave birth to two sons, the first was Raymond Colvin (b. December 1955, died 1993). But ultimately the NAACP decided that the teen wouldnt serve as an effective vessel to represent the movement at the national level. That history eventually came out in bits and pieces; New York Governor Mario Cuomo awarded her the MLK Jr. Medal of Freedom in 1990, and in 2009, she was the subject of Phillip Hoose's Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice, which won a National Book Award. 2010). On March 2, 1955, 15-year-old Colvin, while riding on a segregated city bus, made the fateful decision that would make her a pioneer of the Civil Rights Movement. The same safe and trusted content for explorers of all ages. You like a shawl, She said, Someone led me straight to a cell without giving me any chance to make a phone call. The 15-year-old was promptly dragged out to the street by police officers, handcuffed, and thrown in jail. In 1955 at the age of 15, nine months before Rosa Parks, she was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a Montgomery Bus. The NAACP threw their weight behind Rosa Parks, not Colvin, who refused to move to the back of a Montgomery bus nine months later. Women, in particular, were horrified by the news that a 15-year-old girl had been arrested. Julie Bennett/Getty ImagesClaudette Colvin with Montgomery Mayor Steve Reed, shortly after she asked for her juvenile arrest record to be expunged. Colvin was angered by the case of Jeremiah Reeves, an older classmate at Booker T. Washington High School who was indicted in 1952 and later executed for allegedly raping a white woman.
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Claudette Colvin was born in Pine Level, Alabama on 5 September 1939. Claudette Colvin Family. The plaintiffs' lawyer was Fred D. Gray, an African-American attorney who was also born and raised in Montgomery, Alabama, who also later represented Rosa Parks. She is a retired African American nurse aide and activist who was a pioneer of the 1950s civil rights movement. On 2 March, 1955, she was riding a Capital Heights bus downtown when some white people got on. She was born alongside her late sister Delphine who died of polio. In July 2014, Claudette Colvin's story was documented in a television episode of Drunk History (Montgomery, AL (Season 2, Episode 1)). These things were fresh in her mind as she took a seat in the middle of the bus.
There, Claudette attended a high school for African American students.