Claudette Colvin was born on September 5, 1939. . At birth, she was adopted by C. P. Colvin and Mary Anne Colvin, who lived in a poor neighborhood in Montgomery, Alabama. [16][19], When Colvin refused to get up, she was thinking about a school paper she had written that day about the local customs that prohibited blacks from using the dressing rooms in order to try on clothes in department stores. Claudette Colvin was born on September 5, 1939, in Montgomery, Alabama. The Montgomery bus boycott was then called off after a few months. [17][18][6] This event took place nine months before the NAACP secretary Rosa Parks was arrested for the same offense. [4], "The bus was getting crowded, and I remember the bus driver looking through the rearview mirror asking her [Colvin] to get up for the white woman, which she didn't," said Annie Larkins Price, a classmate of Colvin. Claudette Colvin (born Claudette Austin; September 5, 1939) [1] [2] is an American pioneer of the 1950s civil rights movement and retired nurse aide. Claudette Colvin, a nurse's aide and Civil Rights Movement activist, was born on September 5, 1939, in Birmingham, Alabama. At 82, her arrest is expunged", "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", "John McCutcheon sings Rita Dove's 'Claudette Colvin', Drunk History' Montgomery, AL (TV Episode 2014), "The Newsroom - Will McAvoy On Historical Hypotheticals", "Report: Biopic about civil rights pioneer Claudette Colvin in the works", The Other Rosa Parks (Colvin interview with, Vanessa de la Torre, "In The Shadow of Rosa Parks: 'Unsung Hero' of Civil Rights Movement Speaks Out", "An asterisk, not a star, of black history", Let us Look at Jim Crow for the Criminal he is - Rosa Parks' bus stand and the long history of bus resistance, John F. 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She was brutally beaten for helping to lead a 1965 civil rights march, which became known as Bloody Sunday. The NMAAHC has a section dedicated to Rosa Parks, which Colvin does not want taken away, but her family's goal is to get the historical record right, and for officials to include Colvin's part of history. Rosa Parks stated: "If the white press got ahold of that information, they would have [had] a field day. She was charged with disturbing the peace, as well as assault and violating the segregation law. [39], In 2019, a statue of Rosa Parks was unveiled in Montgomery, Alabama, and four granite markers were also unveiled near the statue on the same day to honor four plaintiffs in Browder v. Gayle, including Colvin[40][41][42], In 2021 Colvin applied to the family court in Montgomery County, Alabama to have her juvenile record expunged. So, you know, I think you compare history, likemost historians say Columbus discovered America, and it was already populated. [2] She was also a member of the NAACP Youth Council, where she formed a close relationship with her mentor, Rosa Parks. [39] Later, Rev. He is the author of several books, including Necessities: Racial Barriers in American Sports (1989), We Were There, Too! [46], Young adult book Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice, by Phillip Hoose, was published in 2009 and won the National Book Award for Young People's Literature. When Austin abandoned the family, Gadson was unable to financially support her children. Fifteen years old, the tiny Colvin attended Booker T. Washington High School. Colvin could not attend the proclamation due to health concerns. King Sr. would later change his and his son's names to Martin Luther after a trip that included a visit to the historic sites of the reformers in 1934. . Despite the Great Depression, Hollywood and popular film production flourished. Claudette Colvin is a black rights activist who was born on September 5 1939 in Montgomery, Alabama. She studied hard at Booker T. Washington High School and received . 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. } catch (e){} The majority of customers on the bus system were African American, but they were discriminated against by its custom of segregated seating. Claudette Colvin (born Claudette Austin; September 5, 1939)[1][2] is an American pioneer of the 1950s civil rights movement and retired nurse aide. She appeared in Montgomery juvenile court on March 18, 1955 and was represented by Fred Gray, an African American civil rights attorney. The average black person made half the average white person makes for the same job. Claudette Colvin was born on September 5, 1939. It was the worst economic downturn in the history of the industrialized world. She refused, saying, "It's my constitutional right to sit here as much as that lady. She was sitting two seats away from the emergency exit. After her arrest, Claudette Colvin was one of the plaintiffs of the historic court case Browder v. Gayle, which determined that segregation was illegal. All Rights Reserved. C.P. Austin and Mary Jane Gadson-Austin. I think that history only has room enough for certainyou know, how many icons can you choose? In high school, she had high ambitions of political activity. Trivia (6) Colvin never married but gave birth to two sons, the first was Raymond Colvin (b. December 1955, died 1993). [4] Colvin later said: "My mother told me to be quiet about what I did. } ); Ruth E. Martin, Colvin, Claudette, African American National Colvin and Mary Anne Colvin. She was a straight A student there. The area also had a bad reputation for being a drug addict's haven. Her neighborhood was a very impoverished one where even routine life was a struggle for most. . In response to Colvins conviction, some local community members initiated a boycott of the local bus system. Claudette: I was born Claudette Austin, September 5, 1939, in Birmingham. After her minister paid her bail, she went home where she and her family stayed up all night out of concern for possible retaliation. He was executed for his alleged crimes. She had been sitting far behind the seats already reserved for whites, and although a city ordinance empowered bus drivers to enforce segregation, blacks could not be asked to give up a seat in the Negro section of the bus for a white person when it was crowded. "[35], I dont think theres room for many more icons. Much of the writing on civil rights history in Montgomery has focused on the arrest of Parks, another woman who refused to give up her seat on the bus, nine months after Colvin. However, this provision of the local law was usually ignored. How old would Martin Luther King be today? Claudette Colvin: The 15-year-old who came before Rosa Parks 10 March 2018 Alamy By Taylor-Dior Rumble BBC World Service In March 1955, nine months before Rosa Parks defied segregation laws by. She was a bright student and mostly received A grades. But she rarely told her story after moving to New York City. "So I told him I was not going to get up either. Roy White, who was in charge of most of the project, asked Colvin if she would like to appear in a video to tell her story, but Colvin refused. Claudette Colvin, a fifteen-year-old student, was arrested for . She earned mostly As in her classes and aspired to become president one day. This was a time of intense racial divide, and Colvin was a victim of it along with the rest. Then 15 years old, she had been riding home . She was born on September 5, 1939. [citation needed]. Although Colvins actions predated the more famous actions of Rosa Parks by nine months, she is much less well known. "[28], On May 20, 2018, Congressman Joe Crowley honored Colvin for her lifetime commitment to public service with a Congressional Certificate and an American flag. I couldnt know whether someone had entered, whether someone had left. While her role in the fight to end segregation in Montgomery may not be widely recognized, Colvin helped advance civil rights efforts in the city. Claudette Colvin was born on September 5, 1939. Colvin served as a witness for the case, Browder v. Gayle, which eventually reached the U.S. Supreme Court. Colvin, however, continued to refuse so she was taken into custody. The case went to the United States Supreme Court on appeal by the state, and it upheld the district court's ruling on November 13, 1956. On March 2, 1955, at the age of 15, she was the first person arrested for resisting bus segregation in Montgomery, Alabama, preceding the more publicized Rosa Parks incident by nine months. Colvin was disappointed that she did not get more recognition for her actions. When the Montgomery Bus Boycott began in December of 1955, the NAACP and MIA filed a lawsuit on behalf of Colvin, and four other women, including Mary Louise Smith, who had been involved in earlier acts of civil disobedience on the Montgomery buses. [16], Through the trial Colvin was represented by Fred Gray, a lawyer for the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA), which was organizing civil rights actions. Below the countdown to Claudette Colvin upcoming birthday. Claudette Colvin. Who Was Claudette Colvin? The 1930s were called the Great Depression (1929-1939). Colbert moved with her family to New York City about . Jeanetta Reese later resigned from the case. She didn't move. Rembert said, "I know people have heard her name before, but I just thought we should have a day to celebrate her." She went to Booker T Washington high school. . Austin, she would soon lead her life unknowingly about to change the world. In court, Colvin opposed the segregation law by declaring herself not guilty. if( ! window.FB.Event.subscribe('xfbml.render', function() { She attended Booker T. Washington High School, and after a long day of . "It resonates just as . Claudette . FBL.renderFinish(); [11][12], Two days before Colvin's 13th birthday, Delphine died of polio. And I just kept blabbing things out, and I never stopped. So he said, 'If you are not going to get up, I will get a policeman.'" cookie : true, "I always tell young people to hold on to their dreams. fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); Claudette Colvin was born on September 5, 1939, in Montgomery, Alabama. },100); On March 2, 1955, however, Colvin's life changed forever. Claudette Colvin was born on September 5, 1939 in Montgomery, Alabama, USA. Claudette Colvin was adopted by her relatives, C. P. Colvin, and Mary Jane Gadson-Austin. In a United States district court, she testified before the three-judge panel that heard the case. Claudette Colvin was born September 5, 1939, in Montgomery, Alabama. [2] Price testified for Colvin, who was tried in juvenile court. This injustice is reflected in the fact that to this day, Colvin isnt as known a figure as Parks is. Colvin is a civil rights activist and pioneer of the 1950s U.S. civil rights movement. Claudette Colvin was an important figure in the civil rights movement. She was also a member of the NAACP Youth Council, and aspired to be President one day. A local civic organization, the Womens Political Council (WPC), had already voiced their concerns to city commissioners about the city bus lines poor treatment of blacks and sought a test case to serve as a catalyst for a large local boycott. For several hours, she sat in jail, completely terrified. Born to Mary Jane Gadson and C. P. Austin, Colvin and her family moved to Montgomery, AL, when she was eight years old. 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