In March 1955, nine months before Rosa Parks defied segregation laws by refusing to give up her seat to a white passenger on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama, 15-year-old Claudette Colvin did exactly Claudette Colvin is an American woman who was arrested as a teenager in 1955 for refusing to give up her bus seat to a white woman. Her protest was one of several by Black women challenging segregation on buses in the months before Rosa Parks’s more famous act. "The Other Rosa Parks: Now 73, Claudette Colvin Was First to Refuse Giving Up Seat on Montgomery Bus." Democracy Now, March 29, 2013. Adler, Margot. "Before Rosa Parks, There Was Claudette Colvin." National Public Radio, March 15, 2009. Kitchen, Sebastian. "Claudette Colvin." The Montgomery Bus Boycott. Mechanic, Michael. Claudette Colvin (born Claudette Austin; September 5, 1939) [1] [2] is an American pioneer of the 1950s civil rights movement and retired nurse aide. 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. Parks made Colvin secretary of the council, trying to nurture the young woman’s spirit and budding leadership. Claudette Colvin recalled that she only went to Youth Council meetings “if I could get a ride” and sometimes she would “stay overnight at Rosa’s — she lived in the projects across the street.” Most people know about Rosa Parks and the 1955 Montgomery, Ala., bus boycott. Nine months earlier, 15-year-old Claudette Colvin refused to give up her seat on the same bus system. History remembers the bold.Alexander the Great, Marie Curie and Neil Armstrong are all remembered for their audacity, discoveries and exploration. But sometimes, a figure slips through the cracks.While Rosa Parks is celebrated for her refusal to give up her bus seat, Claudette Colvin’s identical act of defiance in the same city nine months earlier has been all but forgotten. A full nine months before Rosa Parks's famous act of civil disobedience, 15-year-old Claudette Colvin is arrested on March 2, 1955 for refusing to give up her seat on a segregated Montgomery Before Rosa Parks, A Teenager Defied Segregation On An Alabama Bus : Code Switch Claudette Colvin was a 15-year-old student from Montgomery, Ala., when she refused to yield her bus seat to a white In the chronicles of the Civil Rights Movement, one name remains regrettably shrouded by the obscurity of history – Claudette Colvin. Aged just 15, this fiery teenager, imbued with the spirit of resistance, defied the oppressive conventions of a racially segregated Montgomery, Alabama, a full nine months before the more famous act of defiance by Rosa Parks. On March 2, 1955, Claudette stood O n March 2, 1955, 15-year-old Claudette Colvin was sitting on a totally full bus in Montgomery, Ala., when the driver asked her and three black schoolmates give up the whole row so that a white The Colvin case, Douglas Brinkley writes in Rosa Parks, “proved a good dress rehearsal for the real drama shortly to come.” The African American community needed a citizen whose character was unimpeachable, a “pillar of the community.” Nine months later, on December 1, 1955, Rosa Parks—unbeknownst to her—would become that person. Rosa Parks and Claudette Colvin inspired a nation, showing how positive change can start with a single defiant act. Their actions have become the stuff of legend, but there is so much more to their lives, their stories, and the movement they began. December 1, 1955, a couple months after Claudette Colvin got arrested on that bus, Rosa Parks boarded the same one and also refused to give her seat to a white man. This is the famous act that started the Montgomery Bus Boycott and ignited the Civil Rights Movement. CLAUDETTE COLVIN: First one, Rosa Parks; my mother and my father, who supported me; and Mrs. Geraldine Nesbitt and Mrs. Josie Lawrence, my instructors; and historically, Harriet Tubman and Nine months earlier, 15-year-old Claudette Colvin had been arrested for refusing to give up her seat to a white passenger. In October 1955, 18-year-old Mary Louise Smith had been arrested under similar circumstances, but both cases failed to stir Montgomery’s black leadership to help launch a mass protest. In "Before Rosa Parks, There was Claudette Colvin," Adler shares the story and facts of Colvin, who also refused to give up her seat on a bus. Find out more. Adopting high-quality instructional materials is the first step to transforming ELA instruction. Comparison: Claudette Colvin and Rosa Parks Similarities both African-American women both refused to give up seat on a segregated bus both arrested on segregated buses both started a spark that led to the Montgomery Bus Boycott both arrested in 1955 Claudette and Rosa Claudette Downloadable script about the courageous stories of Rosa Parks and Claudette Colvin during the Montgomery Bus Boycott Theme of the Work: Social justice, the power of unity, and faith in action. Duration: 12–15 minutes Pages: 4-5 Actors: 8–10 (Rosa, Claudette, bus driver, passengers, narrators, and Dr. King) Keywords: Rosa Parks, Claudette Colvin, Montgomery Bus Boycott, church worship You know the story of David and Goliath, right? Well, America has its own version. Only our hero is 15-year-old African-American, school girl Claudette Colvi
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