Claudette Colvin, a U.S. civil rights pioneer known for her refusal to yield her bus seat in Montgomery, Alabama, in 1955, has died at the age of 86 from natural causes in Texas. Her death was announced by the Claudette Colvin Legacy Foundation on Tuesday. Colvin's action predated Rosa Parks' similar arrest by nine months and was a foundational event in the movement to desegregate public transportation.
Early Challenge to Segregation
On March 2, 1955, at age 15, Ms. Colvin was arrested after declining to give up her seat to a white passenger on a segregated bus in Montgomery. She had boarded the bus after high school and was seated in the rear section designated for Black passengers. When the white section became full, the bus driver instructed Black passengers to vacate their seats, but Colvin refused.
Her arrest occurred nine months before Rosa Parks' more widely recognized refusal and subsequent arrest on December 1, 1955. While Parks' arrest, as a local NAACP activist, served as a primary catalyst for the year-long Montgomery Bus Boycott, Colvin was the first person arrested for challenging Montgomery's bus segregation policies.
Legal Impact and Recognition
Ms. Colvin was one of four plaintiffs whose testimony contributed to the landmark U.S. Supreme Court ruling one year after her protest, which mandated an end to bus segregation in Montgomery. Despite her pivotal role as the first to be arrested, her story remained largely unknown for decades, gaining broader recognition after 2009 with the publication of a detailed book about her experience.
Montgomery Mayor Steven Reed stated that Colvin's action "helped lay the legal and moral foundation for the movement that would change America," adding that her courage "was too often overlooked."
Personal Perspective and Later Life
In a 2018 interview with the BBC, Ms. Colvin stated she was "not frightened, but disappointed and angry" during her arrest, believing she "was sitting in the right seat." She cited anti-slavery campaigners Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth as inspirations for her action.
In 2021, Ms. Colvin successfully petitioned to have her court record expunged. At the time, she stated that clearing her name would demonstrate to future generations that progress is achievable and inspire them to work towards a better world.
Ms. Colvin later pursued a career as a nurse in New York. She died in Texas.