Claudette Colvin
September 5, 1939 - January 13, 2026Sep 5, 1939 - Jan 13, 2026
Texas, USATX
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A journey through significant moments.
Claudette Austin was born, later adopting the surname Colvin from her great-aunt and uncle who raised her.
At 15 years old, Colvin refused to give her seat to a white passenger on a segregated bus, leading to her arrest.
Colvin became one of four plaintiffs in the federal lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of bus segregation.
A federal court ruled that state and local laws enforcing bus segregation in Alabama were unconstitutional, a decision later upheld by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Colvin moved to New York City, seeking a new life away from the stigma she faced in Montgomery.
Colvin worked for 35 years as a nurse's aide in a nursing home, retiring in 2004.
Phillip Hoose's biography, "Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice," brought her story to a wider audience and won the National Book Award.
Colvin's juvenile arrest record from her 1955 protest was officially expunged, acknowledging her actions as conscientious.