US Civil Rights Activist Claudette Colvin, Jailed for Refusing to Give Up Her Bus Seat, Has Passed Away

Renowned American civil rights pioneer Claudette Colvin has passed away at the age of 86.

Colvin is remembered as one of the earliest figures who challenged racial segregation in the United States after she refused to give up her seat to a white passenger on a Montgomery, Alabama bus in 1955. At the time, she was only 15 years old.

Her bold action led to her arrest and became a significant moment in the struggle against segregation — an event that occurred nine months before Rosa Parks’ similar protest, which later sparked the famous Montgomery Bus Boycott and helped influence a Supreme Court ruling that outlawed bus segregation.

Although Colvin played a critical role in the civil rights movement, her story remained largely unknown for decades. It was not until 2009, when the first detailed book about her life was published, that her contribution became widely recognized.

A year after her arrest, the United States Supreme Court ruled that segregation on public buses must end. The landmark legal case relied on the testimonies of four plaintiffs, including Colvin herself.

In a 2018 interview with the BBC, she reflected on the historic moment, saying she “was not frightened, but disappointed and angry” because she knew she “was sitting in the right seat”.

Colvin was the first person to be arrested for defying Montgomery’s segregation laws, though it was Rosa Parks whose later action became the symbol of the nationwide movement that followed. Colvin often said she drew inspiration from famed abolitionists Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth.

Announcing her passing, the Claudette Colvin Legacy Foundation paid tribute, stating:

“She leaves behind a legacy of courage that helped change the course of American history”