After learning about Black changemakers during her Montgomery high school’s Negro History Week in 1955, 15 year old Colvin knew she too had to take action against injustice. That opportunity occurred on March 2, 1955 when she and three other Black students boarded a Montgomery bus. When told to give-up her seat to a white woman Colvin, remembering the courage of her ancestors, refused. Little did she know, her actions would be the blueprint for the Montgomery Bus Boycotts- which served as a catalyst for desegregation of the South. Shortly after, she was arrested and put on indefinite probation. Although Colvin’s resistance occurred nine months prior, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) decided to model a similar resistance with the help of the 42 year old Rosa Parks. Today, many wonder: why didn’t the NAACP just highlight Colvin’s resistance? She was young. Why wasn’t she the face of the Montgomery Bus Boycott? The NAACP believed that an unwed motherㅡColvin became pregnant at the age of 16ㅡ would not be a favorable candidate for the movement. The public wouldn’t see her as a courageous 16 year old, rather they’d pay attention to her circumstances. Nevertheless, Colvin’s initiative to take action didn’t end with Montgomery in 1955. She later joined Mary Louise Smith, Aurelia Browder and Susie McDonald as the plaintiffs in Browder v. Gayle; you know, the case that ultimately overturned bus segregation in Alabama! Although she revealed years later that she felt slighted, like many young changemakers, she is the blueprint for progress. Unfortunately, Colvin was charged with lifetime probation at the age of 15. Today, in her 80's, the status of her probation remains the same. To support effort to repeal Colvin's 6 decade long probation status, click below...

Petition · 1 million signatures to Revoke the Permanent Probation status of Claudette Colvin · Change.org