History classes always share Rosa Parks’ story, but often overlook Claudette Colvin, the 15-year-old civil rights activist who refused to give up her seat nine months before Parks did. Now, after her passing on Tuesday, Jan. 13, The Root is committed to keeping her story alive.

Add a Memory Make a Donation 1939 - 2026 1939 - 2026 Obituary Guest Book 1939 2026 35 Entries Mr. Jr. February 12, 2026 My Condolences to the family of Ms. Colvin.

Before Rosa Parks, there was Claudette Colvin. The civil rights pioneer who was only 15 years old when she refused to move her seat on a segregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama, nine months before Rosa Parks’ arrest, died on Tuesday (Jan 13).

US civil rights pioneer Claudette Colvin dies at 86 Claudette Colvin, who refused to give up her seat on a segregated Alabama bus in 1955, months before Rosa Parks, has died aged 86, her foundation said on Tuesday. Colvin was 15 at the time.

Civil rights pioneer Claudette Colvin has died at 86. Very nearly forgotten by history, Colvin was 15 years old in 1955 when she refused to give up her seat on a Montgomery, Alabama bus. The act of bravery predated Rosa Park’s famous refusal by nine months.

Read a PDF of our statement here. The Legal Defense Fund (LDF) mourns the loss, and celebrates the life and legacy, of Claudette Colvin, a historic pioneer in the civil rights movement. Ms.

US civil rights icon Claudette Colvin dies, aged 86 January 14, 2026Claudette Colvin, who became an US civil rights pioneer after her detention for refusing to give up her seat to a white woman on a segregated bus in Alabama in 1955, has died aged 86, her foundation has said.

Civil Rights icon Claudette Colvin dies at 86 Claudette Colvin was just 15 when she was arrested in 1955 for refusing to give up her seat on a segregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama. The Civil Rights icon and pioneer died Tuesday at the age of 86.

Before Rosa Parks, Claudette Colvin refused to move Claudette Colvin was just 15 years old when she refused to give up her bus seat in segregated Montgomery, Alabama. Her defiance came nine months before Rosa Parks, and it ultimately helped crack the law that enforced segregation.

US civil rights pioneer Claudette Colvin, arrested at age 15 for refusing to give up her bus seat to a white woman in Montgomery, Alabama, nine months before Rosa Parks’s similar but more famous act of defiance, died on Tuesday at age 86.

Claudette Colvin, a civil rights activist who was arrested in 1955 for refusing to give up her bus seat to a White woman in segregated Alabama, has died, according to her foundation. She was 86.

Unsung US civil rights pioneer Claudette Colvin dies, aged 86 Colvin’s arrest for refusing to give up her seat to a white person on a segregated bus helped spark the modern civil rights movement in the US.

Claudette Colvin, civil rights pioneer, dies at 86 Claudette Colvin, whose refusal to move to the back of a Montgomery, Alabama, bus as a teenager preceded the better-known efforts of Rosa Parks by less than a year, has died. She was 86.

Who is Claudette Colvin? Remembering a civil rights trailblazer Claudette Colvin, who refused to give up her seat on a Montgomery bus nine months before Rosa Parks, died at 86 on Jan. 13, her family announced.

Civil rights activist Claudette Colvin died on Tuesday at the age of 86. On March 2, 1955, at the age of 15, Colvin was told to give up her bus seat to a white woman, but she refused. This all happened nine months before Rosa Parks’ historic defiance arrest.

Funeral arrangements announced for Civil Rights pioneer Claudette Colvin BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (WSFA) - Funeral arrangements have been made for Civil Rights pioneer Claudette Colvin, who passed away Tuesday at 86 years old.

Her 1955 stand on a Montgomery bus helped reshape civil rights history long before the nation learned her name.

A Smithsonian magazine special report Months Before Rosa Parks Made Headlines, Claudette Colvin Refused to Give Up Her Seat for a White Woman on a Segregated Bus Colvin, a lesser-known figure who took a stand against racial discrimination as a teenager in Montgomery, Alabama, has died at age...

Claudette Colvin, 86, passed away Tuesday while under hospice care in Texas. She played a pivotal role in ending racial segregation in America, and we honor her legacy of courage and sacrifice.