Claudette Colvin, whose name may not be as universally recognized as Rosa Parks, but whose courageous act against segregation was no less pivotal, has died at the age of 86. Her passing was confirmed on January 13, 2026, by both her family and the Claudette Colvin Foundation, closing the chapter on a life that helped shape the course of American history.
On March 2, 1955, Colvin, then a 15-year-old high school student in Montgomery, Alabama, boarded a city bus after school, settling into a window seat near the back. The bus, like all in Montgomery at the time, was strictly segregated. Black riders were forced to the back, and if the white section filled up, drivers could order Black passengers to move even further back—or off the bus entirely. That day, a white woman boarded and, finding the front rows full, expected Colvin and her friends to relinquish their seats. While her friends moved, Colvin did not. "I could not move because history had me glued to the seat," she later told reporters, reflecting on the moment that would become a defining act of resistance. "It felt like Sojourner Truth’s hands were pushing me down on one shoulder and Harriet Tubman’s hands were pushing me down on another shoulder."
Colvin’s refusal to give up her seat came nine months before Rosa Parks’ more widely known act of defiance. According to The Montgomery Advertiser, Colvin recalled, "And that evening, he asked all four of us to get up. But three got up, and I remained sitting by the window... And I didn't think anything of it because I wasn't breaking the law, even in the segregation law. I wasn't breaking that law." The bus driver called the police, who forcibly removed and handcuffed her. She was charged with assault and battery of an officer, disorderly conduct, and violating city segregation ordinances. After her arrest, Colvin was made a ward of the state and placed on indefinite probation, as reported by KRIS 6 News and WSFA.
Despite her bravery, Colvin’s story was, for decades, overshadowed by others. Civil rights leaders at the time decided not to make her the face of the emerging Montgomery Bus Boycott. As Colvin herself explained in interviews, leaders felt she was too young, her skin too dark, her class background too modest, and her pregnancy a few months after the arrest complicated her public image. Attorney Fred Gray, who represented both Colvin and Parks, told WSFA in 2015, "Nobody was doing what they were doing for recognition. It was all about timing."
Yet Colvin’s role was far from over. She became one of the four Black female plaintiffs—along with Aurelia Browder, Susie McDonald, and Mary Louise Smith—in the landmark federal lawsuit Browder v. Gayle, filed by Gray. The suit directly challenged Montgomery's bus segregation laws and, in 1956, the United States Supreme Court upheld the decision to desegregate buses in Montgomery. This ruling didn’t just change city buses; it rippled outward, impacting public transportation across the country, including trains, airplanes, and taxis. Colvin was one of only two surviving plaintiffs from that case, as noted by KRIS 6 News.
Her act of defiance and her courage in the courtroom were historic. Yet, as The New York Times reported, Colvin spent much of her life out of the spotlight. She moved to New York in the late 1950s, working for 35 years as a nurse’s aide at a Manhattan nursing home. In 2018, the City of Montgomery honored her by declaring March 2 as "Claudette Colvin Day," a long-overdue recognition of her contributions.
It wasn’t until 2021 that Colvin’s 1955 arrest record was finally expunged. Judge Calvin L. Williams, who granted the petition, told The New York Times, "It’s somewhat of a full circle, historically, that an African American judge such as myself can sit in judgment of a request such as this to give Ms. Claudette Colvin really the justice that she so long deserved." Phillip Ensler, a member of the legal team who helped clear her record, described it as "the privilege of a lifetime" to work with Colvin and help right a decades-old wrong.
Colvin’s family and the Claudette Colvin Foundation released a statement following her death: "To us, she was more than a historical figure. She was the heart of our family, wise, resilient, and grounded in faith. We will remember her laughter, her sharp wit, and her unwavering belief in justice and human dignity." They expressed gratitude for the love and respect shown to Colvin throughout her life, and noted that details for memorial arrangements would be shared at a later time by the Foundation and Roseboro Holdings.
Montgomery Mayor Steven L. Reed also paid tribute, stating, "Claudette Colvin’s life reminds us that movements are built not only by those whose names are most familiar, but by those whose courage comes early, quietly, and at great personal cost." He added, "Her legacy challenges us to tell the full truth of our history, and to honor every voice that helped bend the arc toward justice. We extend our deepest condolences to her family, loved ones, and all who drew strength from her courage and conviction... May she rest in peace, and may her courage continue to inspire Montgomery and the nation to stand for what is right—even when the world is not yet ready to listen."
Colvin herself never expressed bitterness about being overlooked in her youth. As she told WSFA, "I was thankful Parks was able to continue what I had started nearly a year earlier." For Colvin, the struggle was never about recognition, but about justice. Her actions, inspired by the abolitionists she studied in school—Harriet Tubman and Sojourner Truth—lit a spark that would help ignite a movement and, ultimately, change the nation.
Though her name may have been missing from some history books, Claudette Colvin’s story stands as a powerful reminder that the fight for justice is often carried forward by those who refuse to be moved—even when the world isn’t watching.
