Claudette Colvin passed away on January 13, 2026, at the age of 86. In 1955, she was arrested for refusing to give up her seat for a white passenger on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama. This act of courage helped spark the Civil Rights Movement.
On March 2, 1955, Colvin and her friends took a bus home after school. They sat behind the first five rows. Those rows were reserved for white passengers. When a white woman boarded the bus and the white section was full, the bus driver asked Colvin and her friends to move. Colvin’s friends moved immediately. Colvin remained in her place. She thought about lessons she had learned in school, especially during Black History Month that February. She later said that she could not move because she felt “history had me glued to my seat.” Colvin said, “It felt like Sojourner Truth’s hands were pushing me down on one shoulder and Harriet Tubman’s hands were pushing me down on another shoulder.” Police officers dragged her off the bus, handcuffed her, and took her to jail. She was only 15 years old.
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Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a Montgomery bus, just like Claudette Colvin. Parks’ arrest on December 1, 1955, led to a successful boycott of Montgomery buses.
Nine months later, an African American woman decided not to give up her seat on a Montgomery bus. She was inspired by Claudette Colvin. Her name was Rosa Parks. A boycott of Montgomery buses led by Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., followed. Why did Rosa Parks gain more attention for her arrest than Claudette Colvin? Rosa Parks was an adult who was already well-known and respected in Montgomery. She also had support from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and planned her protest.
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Claudette Colvin lived a long life, passing away in January of 2026 at the age of 86.
Even as a teenager, Claudette Colvin played an important role in the Civil Rights Movement. A year after her arrest, she appeared in a federal court as a star witness in a case against the mayor of Montgomery. The court ruled that bus segregation in Montgomery was illegal. The ruling was upheld by the US Supreme Court.
As an adult, Colvin worked for decades as a nurse’s aide. In 2021, she went to court again. This time she wanted to have her 1955 arrest removed from her record. She won her case.
What Do You Think? Claudette Colvin was inspired by lessons she learned during Black History Month. What people or events from history inspire you?
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