On the bus home that day, the white section filled up. The record of her arrest and adjudication of delinquency was expunged by the district court in 2021, with the support of the district attorney for the county in which the charges were brought more than 66 years before. Claudette Colvin was born on September 5, 1939. In fact, she attended segregated schoolsand rode segregated busesin Montgomery, Alabama. 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. Two years later, Colvin moved to New York City, where she had her second son, Randy, and worked as a nurse's aide at a Manhattan nursing home. status : false, Colvins subversive actions led to a trial, during which she testified before three judges. Rembert said, "I know people have heard her name before, but I just thought we should have a day to celebrate her." She was raised in a poor black neighborhood. window.FB.Event.subscribe('xfbml.render', function() { In July 2014, Claudette Colvin's story was documented in a television episode of Drunk History (Montgomery, AL (Season 2, Episode 1)). The average black person made half the average white person makes for the same job. She also had become pregnant and they thought an unwed mother would attract too much negative attention in a public legal battle. AboutPressCopyrightContact. [49], The Little-Known Heroes: Claudette Colvin, a children's picture book by Kaushay and Spencer Ford, was published in 2021. [39] Later, Rev. Claudette Colvin was born September 5, 1939 in Alabama (Hoose, 1947). Ruth E. Martin, Colvin, Claudette, African American National Taylor Branch. She was born on September 5, 1939. Facts reveal that Claudette grew up in a poor black neighborhood with her seven siblings . Councilman Larkin's sister was on the bus in 1955 when Colvin was arrested. Although Colvins actions predated the more famous actions of Rosa Parks by nine months, she is much less well known. She was charged with disturbing the peace, as well as assault and violating the segregation law. How much did the average black person make compared to the average white person on the same job? She was raised in a poor neighborhood where she realized the separation of whites and blacks. } ); In court, Colvin opposed the segregation law by declaring herself not guilty. In 2017, the Montgomery Council passed a resolution for a proclamation honoring Colvin. Colvin and other community activists felt that this was likely due to her youth, her dark skin, and the fact that she was pregnant at the time by a married man. Colvin and Mary Ann Colvin. That was worse than stealing, you know, talking back to a white person. This made her very scared that they would sexually assault her because this happened frequently. One month later, the Supreme Court declined to reconsider, and on December 20, 1956, the court ordered Montgomery and the state of Alabama to end bus segregation permanently. Below the countdown to Claudette Colvin upcoming birthday. "There was no assault", Price said. [32], In 2005, Colvin told the Montgomery Advertiser that she would not have changed her decision to remain seated on the bus: "I feel very, very proud of what I did," she said. She was among the five women originally [] 
try{ Colvin is nothing short of a civil rights hero and will always be remembered for her bravery and contribution to the cause. [11][12], Two days before Colvin's 13th birthday, Delphine died of polio. window.fbl_started = true; Claudette Colvin, 82, (pictured) was arrested aged 15 for breaking Alabama segregation laws and assaulting an officer. [47], A re-enactment of Colvin's resistance is portrayed in a 2014 episode of the comedy TV series Drunk History about Montgomery, Alabama. "[21] Colvin recalled, "History kept me stuck to my seat. The discussions in the black community began to focus on black enterprise rather than integration, although national civil rights legislation did not pass until 1964 and 1965. Claudette Colbert was born in Paris and brought to the United States as a child three years later. among numerous honors. On March 2nd, 1955, Colvin was arrested as a teenager for refusing to give up her bus seat to a white woman who was left standing. . She didn't move. "She had been yelling, 'It's my constitutional right!'. Quotations by Claudette Colvin, American Activist, Born September 5, 1939. She testified before the three-judge panel that heard the case in aUnited States district court. I felt the hand of Harriet Tubman pushing down on one shoulder and Sojourner Truth pushing down on the other. Her political inclination was fueled in part by an incident with her schoolmate, Jeremiah Reeves; his case was the first time that she had witnessed the work of the NAACP. They asked her to touch hands in order to compare their colors. fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); If he were alive today, Martin Luther King Jr. would still be years away from his 100th birthday. " "[38], Colvin's role has not gone completely unrecognized. C.P. When Colvin's case was appealed to the Montgomery Circuit Court on May 6, 1955, the charges of disturbing the peace and violating the segregation laws were dropped, although her conviction for assaulting a police officer was upheld. If you see something that doesn't look right, contact us! if( !window.fbl_started) She also served as a plaintiff in the landmark legal case Browder v. Gayle, which helped end the practice of segregation on Montgomery public buses. },100); toyourinbox. Colvin was born Claudette Austin in Montgomery, Alabama, on September 5, 1939, to Mary Jane Gadson and C. P. Austin. Colvin was born on September 5, 1939, in Montgomery, Alabama. left my mother to look for a job . Rosa Parks stated: "If the white press got ahold of that information, they would have [had] a field day. Colvin, a studious child, was determined to get the best education possible, become a lawyer, and fight for civil rights. var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; Copyright 2016 FamousAfricanAmericans.org, Museum Dedicated to African American History and Culture is Set to Open in 2016, Scholarships for African Americans Black Scholarships, Top 10 Most Famous Black Actors of All Time. [Mrs. Hamilton] said she was not going to get up and that she had paid her fare and that she didn't feel like standing," recalls Colvin. Rita Dove penned the poem "Claudette Colvin Goes to Work," which later became a song. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People briefly considered using Colvin's case to challenge the segregation laws, but they decided against it because of her age. In 1955 at the age of 15, nine months before Rosa Parks, she was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a Montgomery. Claudette Colvin is best known as Civil Rights Leader who has born on September 05, 1939 in Alabama. For several hours, she sat in jail, completely terrified. . Austin. She decided on that day that she wasn't going to move. [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. How old would Martin Luther King be today? But they dont say that Columbus discovered America; they should say, for the European people, that is, you know, their discovery of the new world. Last October, the 82-year-old civil rights pioneer made the life-changing move to file for the expungement of her decades-old arrest record. 83 Year Old #7. She was a straight A student there. Claudette Colvin is an activist who was a pioneer in the civil rights movement in Alabama during the 1950s. She attended the Booker T. She was a diligent student in school who earned straight A's. On March 2, 1955, Claudette Colvin boarded a bus home from school. Claudette Colvin (born September 5, 1939) [1] is a retired American nurse aide who was a pioneer of the 1950s civil rights movement.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.This occurred some nine months before the more widely known incident in which Rosa Parks, secretary of the . She'd been politicized by the mistreatment of her classmate Jeremiah Reeves and had just written a paper on the problems of downtown segregation. The leaders in the Civil Rights Movement tried to keep up appearances and make the . She was pregnant and she kept saying that she didnt feel like standing, and as she had paid her fare, she had as much right to the seat as the white woman. She had a rebellious nature from a young age. The verdict of this case was a historic step for African Americans, as it officially led to the end of segregation and the signing of the 14th amendment. And before both Claudette Colvin and Rosa Parks, there was Irene Morgan Kirkaldy. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); In a house of empty rooms, I thought I heard a door close down the long hall. Do you find this information helpful? Her father abandoned the family, which included a sister, when she was a small child, and the two girls went to live in Pine Level, Montgomery County, with an aunt and uncle, Mary Anne and Q. P. Colvin. The 1930s were called the Great Depression (1929-1939). She was raised in a poor neighborhood where she realized the separation of whites and blacks. In 2021, 66 years after the charges were brought to the district court, Colvin's charges were dropped. Phillip Hoose. who was born in Chicago, got involved with the civil rights movement when she enrolled at Fisk University in . Enjoy the best Claudette Colvin Quotes at BrainyQuote. Civil Rights Leader #10. Claudette Colvin Is A Member Of . 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. [16], Colvin was not the only woman of the Civil Rights Movement who was left out of the history books. Months before Rosa Parks, Colvin stood up against segregation in Alabama in 1955, when she was only 15 years old. window.fbl_started ) In 1943, at the age of four, Colvin was at a retail store with her mother when a couple of white boys entered. I was glued to my seat," she later told Newsweek. }); 2010). We strive for accuracy and fairness. Claudette Colvin was born on 5 September 1939 in Montgomery, Alabama. Her parents were Mary Jane Gadson and C.P. Margaret Sanger was an early feminist and women's rights activist who coined the term "birth control" and worked towards its legalization. Amelia Boynton Robinson was a civil rights pioneer who championed voting rights for African Americans. She sat down in the front of the bus and refused to move on her own will when asked. "[33] "I'm not disappointed. cookie : true, "I felt like Sojourner Truth was pushing down on one shoulder and Harriet Tubman was pushing down on the othersaying, 'Sit down girl!' The bus driver, Robert W. Cleere, ordered Colvin and three other women to vacate their seats. She was adopted by C.P. The Montgomery bus boycott was then called off after a few months. Similarly, Rosa Parks left Montgomery for Detroit in 1957. Mayor Todd Strange presented the proclamation and, when speaking of Colvin, said, "She was an early foot soldier in our civil rights, and we did not want this opportunity to go by without declaring March 2 as Claudette Colvin Day to thank her for her leadership in the modern day civil rights movement." The district courts decision was appealed to the Supreme Court, which upheld the original ruling. She went to Booker T Washington high school. Currently, Claudette Colvin is 83 years, 4 months and 1 days old. 20072023 Blackpast.org. In the south, male ministers made up the overwhelming majority of leaders. Colvins bravery helped start a civil rights trial to end bus segregation in the city. The area also had a bad reputation for being a drug addict's haven. She earned mostly As in her classes and aspired to become president one day. Coretta Scott King was an American civil rights activist and the wife of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. Ruby Bridges was the first African American child to integrate an all-white public elementary school in the South. So he said, 'If you are not going to get up, I will get a policeman.'" February 27, 2022. "[22] Colvin was handcuffed, arrested, and forcibly removed from the bus. The fifteen-year-old boarded a segregated city bus on her way home from school, her mind filled with what she'd been learning during Negro History Week. We keep track of fun holidays and special moments on the cultural calendar giving you exciting activities, deals, local events, brand promotions, and other exciting ways to celebrate. function fbl_init(){ Despite her personal challenges, Colvin became one of the four plaintiffs in the Browder v. Gayle case, along with Aurelia S. Browder, Susie McDonald and Mary Louise Smith (Jeanatta Reese, who was initially named a plaintiff in the case, withdrew early on due to outside pressure). Colvin served as a witness for the case, Browder v. Gayle, which eventually reached the U.S. Supreme Court. Her parents were Mary Jane Gadson and C.P. African Zion Baptist Church, Malden, West Virginia, (1852- ), COINTELPRO [Counterintelligence Program] (1956-1976), African American History: Research Guides & Websites, Global African History: Research Guides & Websites, African American Scientists and Technicians of the Manhattan Project, Envoys, Diplomatic Ministers, & Ambassadors, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Foundation, Organization, and Corporate Supporters. [2] Price testified for Colvin, who was tried in juvenile court. So, Colvin and her younger sister, Delphine, were taken in by their great aunt and uncle, Mary Anne and Q. P. Colvin whose daughter, Velma Colvin, had already moved out. When a white woman who got on the bus was left standing in the front, the bus driver, Robert W. Cleere, commanded Colvin and three other black women in her row to move to the back. The case went to theUnited States Supreme Courton appeal by the state, and it upheld the district court's ruling on December 17, 1956. As a teenager in 1955, Colvin famously protested Alabama's prejudiced bus segregation laws. Colvin did so, but received a slap and a severe reprimand from her mother, saying that she was not allowed to touch white people. [24], Colvin's moment of activism was not solitary or random. She was born on September 5, 1939. Assured that the hearing would not take place until after her baby was born, Colvin nervously . Born to Mary Jane Gadson and C. P. Austin, Colvin and her family moved to Montgomery, AL, when she was eight years old. She is a wondrous person for what she did. Civil rights activist during the Civil Rights movement of the 1960's who was the first person to resist bus segregation, nine months before Rosa Parks was kicked off the Montgomery Bus Boycott. if (d.getElementById(id)) return; (New York: Oxford University Press, 2008); Darlene Clark Hine, et al., 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. Claudette Colvin, a young African American girl growing up in the 1950s, defied the laws of segregation and challenged the Montgomery bus laws. Claudette Colvin was born in 1930s. 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. [43] The judge ordered that the juvenile record be expunged and destroyed in December 2021, stating that Colvin's refusal had "been recognized as a courageous act on her behalf and on behalf of a community of affected people". It is widely accepted that Colvin was not accredited by the civil rights campaigners at the time due to her pregnancy shortly after the incident, with evenRosa Parkssaying "If the white press got ahold of that information, they would have had a field day. The case, organized and filed in federal court by civil rights attorney Fred Gray, challenged city bus segregation in Montgomery as unconstitutional. Her biological parents are C.P. "It resonates just as . [21], She also said in the 2009 book Claudette Colvin: Twice Towards Justice, by Phillip Hoose, that one of the police officers sat in the back seat with her. It was the worst economic downturn in the history of the industrialized world. The Supreme Court summarily affirmed the District Court decision on November 13, 1956. Despite the light sentence, Colvin could not escape the court of public opinion. At birth, she was adopted by C. P. Colvin and Mary Anne Colvin, who lived in a poor neighborhood in Montgomery, Alabama.
try{ Colvin is nothing short of a civil rights hero and will always be remembered for her bravery and contribution to the cause. [11][12], Two days before Colvin's 13th birthday, Delphine died of polio. window.fbl_started = true; Claudette Colvin, 82, (pictured) was arrested aged 15 for breaking Alabama segregation laws and assaulting an officer. [47], A re-enactment of Colvin's resistance is portrayed in a 2014 episode of the comedy TV series Drunk History about Montgomery, Alabama. "[21] Colvin recalled, "History kept me stuck to my seat. The discussions in the black community began to focus on black enterprise rather than integration, although national civil rights legislation did not pass until 1964 and 1965. Claudette Colbert was born in Paris and brought to the United States as a child three years later. among numerous honors. On March 2nd, 1955, Colvin was arrested as a teenager for refusing to give up her bus seat to a white woman who was left standing. . She didn't move. "She had been yelling, 'It's my constitutional right!'. Quotations by Claudette Colvin, American Activist, Born September 5, 1939. She testified before the three-judge panel that heard the case in aUnited States district court. I felt the hand of Harriet Tubman pushing down on one shoulder and Sojourner Truth pushing down on the other. Her political inclination was fueled in part by an incident with her schoolmate, Jeremiah Reeves; his case was the first time that she had witnessed the work of the NAACP. They asked her to touch hands in order to compare their colors. fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs); If he were alive today, Martin Luther King Jr. would still be years away from his 100th birthday. " "[38], Colvin's role has not gone completely unrecognized. C.P. When Colvin's case was appealed to the Montgomery Circuit Court on May 6, 1955, the charges of disturbing the peace and violating the segregation laws were dropped, although her conviction for assaulting a police officer was upheld. If you see something that doesn't look right, contact us! if( !window.fbl_started) She also served as a plaintiff in the landmark legal case Browder v. Gayle, which helped end the practice of segregation on Montgomery public buses. },100); toyourinbox. Colvin was born Claudette Austin in Montgomery, Alabama, on September 5, 1939, to Mary Jane Gadson and C. P. Austin. Colvin was born on September 5, 1939, in Montgomery, Alabama. left my mother to look for a job . Rosa Parks stated: "If the white press got ahold of that information, they would have [had] a field day. Colvin, a studious child, was determined to get the best education possible, become a lawyer, and fight for civil rights. var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0]; Copyright 2016 FamousAfricanAmericans.org, Museum Dedicated to African American History and Culture is Set to Open in 2016, Scholarships for African Americans Black Scholarships, Top 10 Most Famous Black Actors of All Time. [Mrs. Hamilton] said she was not going to get up and that she had paid her fare and that she didn't feel like standing," recalls Colvin. Rita Dove penned the poem "Claudette Colvin Goes to Work," which later became a song. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People briefly considered using Colvin's case to challenge the segregation laws, but they decided against it because of her age. In 1955 at the age of 15, nine months before Rosa Parks, she was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a Montgomery. Claudette Colvin is best known as Civil Rights Leader who has born on September 05, 1939 in Alabama. For several hours, she sat in jail, completely terrified. . Austin. She decided on that day that she wasn't going to move. [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. How old would Martin Luther King be today? But they dont say that Columbus discovered America; they should say, for the European people, that is, you know, their discovery of the new world. Last October, the 82-year-old civil rights pioneer made the life-changing move to file for the expungement of her decades-old arrest record. 83 Year Old #7. She was a straight A student there. Claudette Colvin is an activist who was a pioneer in the civil rights movement in Alabama during the 1950s. She attended the Booker T. She was a diligent student in school who earned straight A's. On March 2, 1955, Claudette Colvin boarded a bus home from school. Claudette Colvin (born September 5, 1939) [1] is a retired American nurse aide who was a pioneer of the 1950s civil rights movement.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.This occurred some nine months before the more widely known incident in which Rosa Parks, secretary of the . She'd been politicized by the mistreatment of her classmate Jeremiah Reeves and had just written a paper on the problems of downtown segregation. The leaders in the Civil Rights Movement tried to keep up appearances and make the . She was pregnant and she kept saying that she didnt feel like standing, and as she had paid her fare, she had as much right to the seat as the white woman. She had a rebellious nature from a young age. The verdict of this case was a historic step for African Americans, as it officially led to the end of segregation and the signing of the 14th amendment. And before both Claudette Colvin and Rosa Parks, there was Irene Morgan Kirkaldy. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); In a house of empty rooms, I thought I heard a door close down the long hall. Do you find this information helpful? Her father abandoned the family, which included a sister, when she was a small child, and the two girls went to live in Pine Level, Montgomery County, with an aunt and uncle, Mary Anne and Q. P. Colvin. The 1930s were called the Great Depression (1929-1939). She was raised in a poor neighborhood where she realized the separation of whites and blacks. In 2021, 66 years after the charges were brought to the district court, Colvin's charges were dropped. Phillip Hoose. who was born in Chicago, got involved with the civil rights movement when she enrolled at Fisk University in . Enjoy the best Claudette Colvin Quotes at BrainyQuote. Civil Rights Leader #10. Claudette Colvin Is A Member Of . 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. [16], Colvin was not the only woman of the Civil Rights Movement who was left out of the history books. Months before Rosa Parks, Colvin stood up against segregation in Alabama in 1955, when she was only 15 years old. window.fbl_started ) In 1943, at the age of four, Colvin was at a retail store with her mother when a couple of white boys entered. I was glued to my seat," she later told Newsweek. }); 2010). We strive for accuracy and fairness. Claudette Colvin was born on 5 September 1939 in Montgomery, Alabama. Her parents were Mary Jane Gadson and C.P. Margaret Sanger was an early feminist and women's rights activist who coined the term "birth control" and worked towards its legalization. Amelia Boynton Robinson was a civil rights pioneer who championed voting rights for African Americans. She sat down in the front of the bus and refused to move on her own will when asked. "[33] "I'm not disappointed. cookie : true, "I felt like Sojourner Truth was pushing down on one shoulder and Harriet Tubman was pushing down on the othersaying, 'Sit down girl!' The bus driver, Robert W. Cleere, ordered Colvin and three other women to vacate their seats. She was adopted by C.P. The Montgomery bus boycott was then called off after a few months. Similarly, Rosa Parks left Montgomery for Detroit in 1957. Mayor Todd Strange presented the proclamation and, when speaking of Colvin, said, "She was an early foot soldier in our civil rights, and we did not want this opportunity to go by without declaring March 2 as Claudette Colvin Day to thank her for her leadership in the modern day civil rights movement." The district courts decision was appealed to the Supreme Court, which upheld the original ruling. She went to Booker T Washington high school. Currently, Claudette Colvin is 83 years, 4 months and 1 days old. 20072023 Blackpast.org. In the south, male ministers made up the overwhelming majority of leaders. Colvins bravery helped start a civil rights trial to end bus segregation in the city. The area also had a bad reputation for being a drug addict's haven. She earned mostly As in her classes and aspired to become president one day. Coretta Scott King was an American civil rights activist and the wife of civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. Ruby Bridges was the first African American child to integrate an all-white public elementary school in the South. So he said, 'If you are not going to get up, I will get a policeman.'" February 27, 2022. "[22] Colvin was handcuffed, arrested, and forcibly removed from the bus. The fifteen-year-old boarded a segregated city bus on her way home from school, her mind filled with what she'd been learning during Negro History Week. We keep track of fun holidays and special moments on the cultural calendar giving you exciting activities, deals, local events, brand promotions, and other exciting ways to celebrate. function fbl_init(){ Despite her personal challenges, Colvin became one of the four plaintiffs in the Browder v. Gayle case, along with Aurelia S. Browder, Susie McDonald and Mary Louise Smith (Jeanatta Reese, who was initially named a plaintiff in the case, withdrew early on due to outside pressure). Colvin served as a witness for the case, Browder v. Gayle, which eventually reached the U.S. Supreme Court. Her parents were Mary Jane Gadson and C.P. African Zion Baptist Church, Malden, West Virginia, (1852- ), COINTELPRO [Counterintelligence Program] (1956-1976), African American History: Research Guides & Websites, Global African History: Research Guides & Websites, African American Scientists and Technicians of the Manhattan Project, Envoys, Diplomatic Ministers, & Ambassadors, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Foundation, Organization, and Corporate Supporters. [2] Price testified for Colvin, who was tried in juvenile court. So, Colvin and her younger sister, Delphine, were taken in by their great aunt and uncle, Mary Anne and Q. P. Colvin whose daughter, Velma Colvin, had already moved out. When a white woman who got on the bus was left standing in the front, the bus driver, Robert W. Cleere, commanded Colvin and three other black women in her row to move to the back. The case went to theUnited States Supreme Courton appeal by the state, and it upheld the district court's ruling on December 17, 1956. As a teenager in 1955, Colvin famously protested Alabama's prejudiced bus segregation laws. Colvin did so, but received a slap and a severe reprimand from her mother, saying that she was not allowed to touch white people. [24], Colvin's moment of activism was not solitary or random. She was born on September 5, 1939. Assured that the hearing would not take place until after her baby was born, Colvin nervously . Born to Mary Jane Gadson and C. P. Austin, Colvin and her family moved to Montgomery, AL, when she was eight years old. She is a wondrous person for what she did. Civil rights activist during the Civil Rights movement of the 1960's who was the first person to resist bus segregation, nine months before Rosa Parks was kicked off the Montgomery Bus Boycott. if (d.getElementById(id)) return; (New York: Oxford University Press, 2008); Darlene Clark Hine, et al., 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. Claudette Colvin, a young African American girl growing up in the 1950s, defied the laws of segregation and challenged the Montgomery bus laws. Claudette Colvin was born in 1930s. 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. [43] The judge ordered that the juvenile record be expunged and destroyed in December 2021, stating that Colvin's refusal had "been recognized as a courageous act on her behalf and on behalf of a community of affected people". It is widely accepted that Colvin was not accredited by the civil rights campaigners at the time due to her pregnancy shortly after the incident, with evenRosa Parkssaying "If the white press got ahold of that information, they would have had a field day. The case, organized and filed in federal court by civil rights attorney Fred Gray, challenged city bus segregation in Montgomery as unconstitutional. Her biological parents are C.P. "It resonates just as . [21], She also said in the 2009 book Claudette Colvin: Twice Towards Justice, by Phillip Hoose, that one of the police officers sat in the back seat with her. It was the worst economic downturn in the history of the industrialized world. The Supreme Court summarily affirmed the District Court decision on November 13, 1956. Despite the light sentence, Colvin could not escape the court of public opinion. At birth, she was adopted by C. P. Colvin and Mary Anne Colvin, who lived in a poor neighborhood in Montgomery, Alabama.