As part of a new series, GHC would like to honor the diverse men and women that have had an impact on American history, but that people may not be as familiar with. We will be highlighting a new figure each week in hopes of bringing more awareness to how rich and diversified our history is. We hope you will join us on this exciting and informative journey.
In honor of February being Black History Month, for the next few weeks we will be highlighting the great African American men and women who have left an enduring mark on history. Our first historical figure is Claudette Colvin. Colvin was born on September 5, 1939, in Montgomery, Alabama. Growing up, she attended Booker T. Washington High School and relied on the segregated bus system for transportation. While in high school, Colvin also joined the NAACP Youth Council whose advisor was none other than Rosa Parks.
On March 2, 1955, when Colvin was only 15 years old, her life would change. While Colvin rode the bus, an overflow of white passengers boarded which under the Jim Crow segregation laws of the time would require her to give up her seat and move to the back of the bus in order for the white passengers to sit down. When the bus driver ordered her to get up, however, she refused and pointed out that she paid her fare and that it was her constitutional right to sit there. She would later attribute her courage to learning about African American leaders such as Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth in school. After a considerable amount of force, two police officers handcuffed and arrested her. This was nine months prior to Rosa Parks’ refusal to give up her seat and the subsequent launch of the Montgomery Bus Boycotts.
Colvin was convicted of both assault and battery against the police as well as violating the segregation statute on March 18, 1955. On appeal, though, the prosecutor dropped the segregation charge. Her arrest and conviction wouldn’t be expunged until 66 years later in 2021 after Colvin and her family filed to have them thrown out with support from the District Attorney at the time. Colvin’s words on the filing were that she, “want[s] us to move forward and be better.” She stated that by having her name cleared, it would show the newest generation that progress can be made and things can get better.
Although her mark on history had already been made through her act of defiance and courage, Colvin would go on to cement her place by joining with three other African American women as plaintiffs in Browder v. Gayle, a Supreme Court case that would ultimately end segregation of black and white passengers on buses in Montgomery and Alabama as a whole. In 2019, a granite marker for each of the four plaintiffs was unveiled alongside a statue of Rosa Parks in Montgomery allowing Colvin to become honored for generations to come.
Sources
Adler, M. (2009, March 15). Before Rosa Parks, there was Claudette Colvin. NPR. https://www.npr.org/2009/03/15/101719889/before-rosa-parks-there-was-claudette-colvin
Associate Press. (2019, December 1). Rosa Parks statue unveiled in Alabama on anniversary of her refusal to give up seat. WJLA. https://wjla.com/news/nation-world/rosa-parks-civil-rights-statue-to-be-unveiled-in-alabama
Garrow, D. J. (1985). The origins of the Montgomery bus boycott. Southern Changes, 7, 21-27. http://www.davidgarrow.com/File/DJG%201985%20SChangesJAGRMontgBBText.pdf
Kirkland, P., & And one, D. (2021, December 16). Claudette Colvin’s juvenile record has been expunged, 66 years after she was arrested for refusing to give her bus seat to a white person. CNN. https://www.cnn.com/2021/12/16/us/claudette-colvin-juvenile-record-expunged/index.html