In fact, she attended segregated schoolsand rode segregated busesin Montgomery, Alabama. 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 1960, she gave birth to her second son, Randy. Born Lily Claudette Chauchoin, she went to high school in New York. She refused to give up her seat on a bus months before Rosa Parks' more famous protest. Some have tried to change that. Trivia (6) Colvin never married but gave birth to two sons, the first was Raymond Colvin (b. December 1955, died 1993). She dreamed of becoming the President of the United States. Delphine, the younger sister, died from polio two days before her 13th birthday. On March 2, 1955, she was the first person arrested for resisting bus segregation in Montgomery, Alabama, preceding the more publicized Rosa Parks incident by nine months. 2023 Biography and the Biography logo are registered trademarks of A&E Television Networks, LLC. [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. [6][7] It is now widely accepted that Colvin was not accredited by civil rights campaigners at the time due to her circumstances. "[33] "I'm not disappointed. Claudette Colvin (born Claudette Austin, September 5, 1939) Montgomery, Alabama, is an American pioneer of the 1950s civil rights movement and retired nurse aide. African American chemist Percy Julian was a pioneer in the chemical synthesis of medicinal drugs such as cortisone, steroids and birth control pills. Colvin was initially charged with disturbing the peace, violating the segregation laws, and battering and assaulting a police officer. They asked Colvin to touch hands with them, in order to compare the colors of their skin. Claudette Colbert, original name Emilie (Lily) Claudette Chauchoin, (born September 13, 1903, Saint-Mand, Val-de-Marne, Francedied July 30, 1996, Speightstown, Barbados), American stage and motion-picture actress known for her trademark bangs, her velvety purring voice, her confident intelligent style, and her subtle graceful acting. Claudette Colvin and her guardians relocated to Montgomery when she was eight. This then also influenced the Montgomery bus boycott, which was called off after the Supreme Courts ruling to end bus segregation in Alabama. Colvin, a studious child, was determined to get the best education possible, become a lawyer, and fight for civil rights. On June 5, 1956, the United States District Court for the Middle District of Alabama issued a ruling declaring the state of Alabama and Montgomery's laws mandating public bus segregation as unconstitutional. 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. 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. She worked there for 35 years until her retirement in 2004. The court sentenced her to indefinite probation and declared her to be a ward of the state. [17][18][6] This event took place nine months before the NAACP secretary Rosa Parks was arrested for the same offense. One month later, the Supreme Court affirmed the order to Montgomery and the state of Alabama to end bus segregation. Tue, 09.05.1939 Claudette Colvin, Activist born Claudette Colvin *Claudette Colvin was born this date in 1939. window.FB.init({ 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. [16], Through the trial Colvin was represented by Fred Gray, a lawyer for the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA), which was organizing civil rights actions. Austin, but she was raised by her great-aunt and great-uncle, Mary Ann and Q.P. In a United States district court, she testified before the three-judge panel that heard the case. Log In With Google Claudette Colvin, a nurse's aide and Civil Rights Movement activist, was born on September 5, 1939, in Birmingham, Alabama. 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. Historically, however, the case of Rosa Parks has received much more attention and support. 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. window.fbl_started = true; He was born in South Bend, Indiana, and grew up in the towns of South Bend, Angola, and Speedway, Indiana. [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. [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. Three days later, the Supreme Court affirmed the order to Montgomery and the state of Alabama to end bus segregation the Montgomery bus boycott was then called off. [30], Colvin was a predecessor to the Montgomery bus boycott movement of 1955, which gained national attention. Colvin was promptly arrested and taken to the city jail where she was charged with disturbing the peace, violating the citys segregation ordinance, and assaulting policemen. A group of black civil rights leaders including Martin Luther King, Jr., was organized to discuss Colvin's arrest with the police commissioner. The area also had a bad reputation for being a drug addict's haven. [4][18] Colvin said, "But I made a personal statement, too, one that [Parks] didn't make and probably couldn't have made. On March 2, 1955, an impassioned teenager, fed up with the daily injustices of Jim Crow segregation, refused to give her seat to a white woman on a segregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama. 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. . On the hot sunny day in Montgomery Alabama, on September 5th, 1939, a baby girl named Claudette Colvin was born to Mary Jane Gadson and C.P. Claudette Colvin (born Claudette Austin; September 5, 1939) is an American pioneer of the 1950s civil rights movement and retired nurse aide. In the 2010s, Larkin arranged for a street to be named after Colvin. She studied hard at Booker T. Washington High School and received . She attended Booker T. Washington High School, and after a long day of . 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. She went to Booker T Washington high school. Quotations by Claudette Colvin, American Activist, Born September 5, 1939. And I just kept blabbing things out, and I never stopped. Claudette Colvin was an African American teenager who, in 1955, was arrested for refusing to give up her bus seat to a white person. Her reputation also made it impossible for her to find a job. [36], Colvin and her family have been fighting for recognition for her action. try{ She sat in the colored section about two seats away from an emergency exit, in a Capitol Heights bus. She was born alongside her late sister Delphine who died of polio. By 1955, Claudette attended Booker T. Washington High School, where she excelled. The district courts decision was appealed to the Supreme Court, which upheld the original ruling. She sat down in the front of the bus and refused to move on her own will when asked. What was Jim Crow's job? Your donation is fully tax-deductible. This made her very scared that they would sexually assault her because this happened frequently. "I always tell young people to hold on to their dreams. Colvin's sister, Gloria Laster, said. left my mother to look for a job . As of 2022, she is 82 years old. As a Black girl growing up in Alabama, she was no stranger to discrimination. They asked her to touch hands in order to compare their colors. She was arrested and became one of four plaintiffs in Browder v. Gayle, which ruled that Montgomery's segregated bus system was unconstitutional. Councilman Larkin's sister was on the bus in 1955 when Colvin was arrested. 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. Every day is a holiday!Receive fresh holidays directly She had two sisters, Delphine and Velma. That was worse than stealing, you know, talking back to a white person. Months before Rosa Parks, Colvin stood up against segregation in Alabama in 1955, when she was only 15 years old. The Montgomery chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) looked into her case and initially raised money to appeal her conviction. 2010). Colvins subversive actions led to a trial, during which she testified before three judges. "[35], I dont think theres room for many more icons. Claudette Colvin is an important civil rights activist who made a notable impact on the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Colvin attended Booker T. Washington High School. Daryl Bailey, the District Attorney for the county, supported her motion, stating: "Her actions back in March of 1955 were conscientious, not criminal; inspired, not illegal; they should have led to praise and not prosecution". She's famous for being arrested for refusing to give up her seat to a white woman on a crowded, segregated bus. In the south, male ministers made up the overwhelming majority of leaders. On March 2, 1955, 15-year-old Colvin, while riding on a segregated city bus, made the fateful decision that would make her a pioneer of the Civil Rights Movement. Taylor Branch. [26], Together with Aurelia S. Browder, Susie McDonald, Mary Louise Smith, and Jeanetta Reese, Colvin was one of the five plaintiffs in the court case of Browder v. Gayle. Claudette Colvin : biography 05 September 1939 - Claudette Colvin (born September 5, 1939) is a pioneer of the African-American civil rights movement. And before both Claudette Colvin and Rosa Parks, there was Irene Morgan Kirkaldy. .