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. 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. "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. 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. On Dec. 1, a statue of Rosa Parks was unveiled in Montgomery, Ala., for the 64th anniversary of her refusal to give up her seat to a white passenger, along with granite markers honoring Colvin and Claudette Colvin is an activist who was a pioneer in the civil rights movement in Alabama during the 1950s. She refused to give up her seat on a bus months before Rosa Parks' more famous protest. 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 The story of Claudette Colvin is intrinsically intertwined with that of Rosa Parks, another fearless woman who refused to surrender her seat on a Montgomery bus. Although Colvin's act of defiance preceded Parks' by nine months, it is Parks who is widely recognized as the face of the bus desegregation movement. On Dec. 1, a statue of Rosa Parks was unveiled in Montgomery, Ala., for the 64th anniversary of her refusal to give up her seat to a white passenger, along with granite markers honoring Colvin and Claudette Colvin: Twice Towards Justice book (affiliate): months before Rosa Parks, a 15-year-old student named Claudette Colvin refus 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 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. You may think you know the story, but this one isn't about Rosa Parks — it's about Claudette Colvin, a 15-year-old who made a stand against entrenched segregation nine months before Parks did, (Learn more in The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks: Young Readers Edition.) There is a lot of misinformation about Colvin’s story. Read Pitting Rosa Parks against Claudette Colvin distorts history by Jeanne Theoharis and Say Burgin in The Washington Post (2022). Related Resources Council meetings. 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.” 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 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
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