C is for Claudette, an unrecognized teenage pioneer in Civil Rights Movement

© Teen Vogue

Claudette Colvin, at the age of 15, was arrested on her return trip from Booker T. Washington in Atlanta, Georgia. Her arrest is often seen as an uncanny resemblance to Rosa Parks. Although both women had refused to give up their bus seats for white individuals, only one name is still circulating today.

Although Claudette Colvin had been charged for three charges due to her actions, two of the three were dropped, leaving only the case of assaulting a police officer to be challenged. Dropping the segregation interference case made it so that civil rights leaders could not directly challenge segregation with Claudette’s case.

Because of this, her uncontrollable feistiness, the civil rights movement eventually dropped Claudette as a representative. After her trials, Claudette found out that she was pregnant with an unknown man. Other reasons Claudette was ostracized was because of her darker skin tone, her age, her gender, and her hair.

Rosa Parks once said that the civil rights unit was not accredited because “If the white press got ahold of that information, they would have [had] a field day. They'd call her a bad girl, and her case wouldn't have a chance.”

In the months following her arrest, Claudette and Rosa Parks began spending time together between youth civil rights movement meetings. Although Claudette’s story was covered up and hidden by the accomplishments of older civil rights leaders, her devotion and dedication should be recognized today.

© The Guardian

Claudette Colvin teaches us that youth can make a difference in their community through the power of drive and belief in change. Claudette believed that she could stand up to bus segregation, and she worked towards doing that. Although her impact was not immediately visible, her actions inspired other Civil rights leaders, and created a ripple of change.

And now, it’s our turn to set the ripple in effect. Together, we can establish a group of individuals dedicated to making a difference and inflicting change into society. The question is, who will be the one to toss the first stone?

© Oprah Daily

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Works Cited

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. "Claudette Colvin". Encyclopedia Britannica, 20 Dec. 2023, https://www.britannica.com/biography/Claudette-Colvin. Accessed 13 February 2024.Copy Citation

Laughland, Oliver. “Claudette Colvin: The Woman Who Refused to Give up Her Bus Seat – Nine Months before Rosa Parks.” The Guardian, 25 Feb. 2021, www.theguardian.com/society/2021/feb/25/claudette-colvin-the-woman-who-refused-to-give-up-her-bus-seat-nine-months-before-rosa-parks.

Theoharis, Jeanne. “Claudette Colvin | the Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks.” Rosaparksbiography.org, 2022, rosaparksbiography.org/bio/claudette-colvin/.

Wikipedia Contributors. “Claudette Colvin.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 28 Oct. 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Claudette_Colvin.