Claudette Colvin was 15 when she refused to move to the back of the bus and give up her seat to a white person — nine months before Rosa Parks did the very same thing. She was arrested and became one of four plaintiffs in Browder v. Gayle, which ruled that Montgomery's segregated bus system was unconstitutional. Colvin later moved to New York City and worked as a nurse's aide. She retired in 2004. In 2021, her juvenile record was expunged.
Colvin, now 85, lives in Texas. In 2024, she partnered with Phillip Hoose to publish Claudette Colvin: I Want Freedom Now. She authored No Fear Here and I Do Not Fear, which was published in 2022. She has been the subject of many books, which are listed below and can be placed on hold by clicking the title.
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