Claudette Colvin, civil rights pioneer who refused bus seat before Rosa Parks, dies at 86

Claudette Colvin, the first Black woman to refuse giving up her bus seat to a white passenger in Montgomery, Alabama, on March 2, 1955, died on Tuesday, January 13, 2026, at age 86. Her act of defiance preceded Rosa Parks's similar protest by nine months, but the NAACP chose Parks as the face of the Montgomery bus boycott, deeming Colvin, then 15, less suitable due to her age and background. Colvin later became a key plaintiff and witness in Browder v. Gayle, the case that led to the Supreme Court's 1956 ruling declaring bus segregation unconstitutional. She worked as a caregiver and nurse's aide, living in obscurity for decades. Historians and activists have since highlighted her role, noting that Parks was considered more palatable to white public opinion. Colvin has been honored in literature, music, film, and television, including Rita Dove's poem, John McCutcheon's song, Phillip Hoose's award-winning book, and a 2014 Drunk History episode.