With heavy hearts, we announce
Early Courage
Nearly a decade before Rosa Parks, 15-year-old Claudette Colvin
refused to give up her bus seat in Montgomery, Alabama.
Arrested in March 1955, she later said she felt not fear but anger,
knowing she had done nothing wrong.
“I believed I was ‘sitting in the right seat,’ both legally and morally,” she recalled.
Role in the Movement
Colvin’s defiance preceded Parks’
more famous protest and helped fracture segregation.
She was among the plaintiffs whose
testimony led to the Supreme Court ruling ending bus segregation.
Overlooked Hero
Despite her impact, civil rights leaders initially avoided
spotlighting her due to her youth and circumstances.
Her story remained largely unknown until 2009,
when historians began acknowledging her vital contribution.
Legacy
Colvin later moved to New York and worked as a nurse.
Her foundation described her as leaving behind
“a legacy of courage that helped change the course of American history.”
Her life reminds us that transformative action often precedes recognition.
