Claudette Colvin was an American civil rights activist born on September 5th, 1939. She grew up in segregated Montgomery, Alabama where she firsthand saw the heartache and violence many black people suffered because of racism and prejudice.

We all know the story of how Rosa Parks bravely refused to give up her seat, but she wasn’t the first person to do it.  In fact, 9 months before Rosa Park gave up her seat, Claudette Colvin gave up hers.  This makes Claudette the first Black woman to refuse to give up her seat during the civil rights movement. She was first asked to move to the back, but she refused, stating that she had the same rights just as anyone else on the bus. Upon her refusal, she was promptly arrested for breaking segregation laws and “disturbing the peace.” At the time, she was only 15 years old.” Since she was so young at the time of her arrest, she has spoken about still having long lasting trauma due to staying in a jail cell for hours.

Her case was met with some backlash, but because she was unmarried and pregnant at the time, civil rights campaigners chose to not amplify her story as much.