You have to take a stand and say, 'This is not right.'. [30] Claudette began a job in 1969 as a nurse's aide in a nursing home in Manhattan. Born in Alabama #33. Others say it is because she was a foul-mouthed tearaway. Rosa Parks was thrown off the bus on a Thursday; by Friday, activists were distributing leaflets that highlighted her arrest as one of many, including those of Colvin and Mary Louise Smith: "Another Negro woman has been arrested and thrown in jail because she refused to get up out of her seat on the bus for a white person to sit down," they read. But also let them know that the attorneys took four other women to the Supreme Court to challenge the law that led to the end of segregation. She resisted bus segregation nine months before Rosa Parks, . The case, organized and filed in federal court by civil rights attorney Fred Gray, challenged city bus segregation in Montgomery as unconstitutional. It was this dark, clever, angry young woman who boarded the Highland Avenue bus on Friday, March 2, 1955, opposite Martin Luther King's church on Dexter Avenue, Montgomery. None of them spoke to me; they didn't see if I was okay. But there were two things about Colvin's stand on that March day that made it significant. "When I was in the ninth grade, all the police cars came to get Jeremiah," says Colvin. Claudette Colvin was the first person arrested by the police in Montgomery, AL for refusing to give up her bus seat. It is here, at 658 Dixie Drive, that Colvin, 61, was raised by a great aunt, who was a maid, and great uncle, who was a "yard boy", whom she grew up calling her parents. She turns, watches, wipes, feeds and washes the elderly patients and offers them a gentle, consoling word when they become disoriented. She was played by Mariah Iman Wilson. And, from there, the short distance to sanctity: they called her "Saint Rosa", "an angel walking", "a heaven-sent messenger". "I wasn't with it at all. She was detained on March 2, 1955, in . It is time for President Obama to award Colvin the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nations highest civilian honor, to recognize her sacrifice and passionate dedication to social justice. [2] Price testified for Colvin, who was tried in juvenile court. As well as the predictable teenage fantasy of "marrying a baseball player", she also had strong political convictions. He wasn't." In 1956, Colvin gave birth to a son, Raymond. [24] She was convicted on all three charges in juvenile court. She spent the next decade going back and forth like a yo-yo between the two cities, she said. The legal case turned on the testimony of four plaintiffs, one of whom was Claudette Colvin. She wants . She shops with her workmates and watches action movies on video. Black people were allowed to occupy those seats so long as white people didn't need them. Parks became one of Time Magazine's 100 most important people of the 20th century . She retired in 2004. In the south, male ministers made up the overwhelming . The case went to the United States Supreme Court on appeal by the state, and it upheld the district court's ruling on November 13, 1956. For many years, Montgomery's black leaders did not publicize Colvin's pioneering effort. "But according to [the commissioner], she was the first person ever to enter a plea of not guilty to such a charge.". "Always studying and using long words.". But while the driver went to get a policeman, it was the white students who started to make noise. "She was a victim of both the forces of history and the forces of destiny," said King, in a quote now displayed in the civil rights museum in Atlanta. She deserves our attention, our gratitude and a warm, bright spotlight all her own. "She had been yelling, 'It's my constitutional right!'. "I went bipolar. It was a journey not only into history but also mythology. The bus went three stops before several white passengers got on. She still has one - a handwritten note from William Harris in Sacramento. Her voice is soft and high, almost shrill. She was 15. By then I didnt have much time for celebrating anyway. "However, the black leadership in Montgomery at the time thought that we should wait. Parks," her former attorney, Fred Gray, told Newsweek. A year later, on 20 December 1956, the US Supreme Court ruled that segregation on the buses must end. "She was an A student, quiet, well-mannered, neat, clean, intelligent, pretty, and deeply religious," writes Jo Ann Robinson in her authoritative book, The Montgomery Bus Boycott And The Women Who Started It. Colvin says Parks had the right image to become the face of resistance to segregation because of her previous work with the NAACP. Austin, but she was raised by her great-aunt and great-uncle, Mary Ann and Q.P. He was born on March 3, 1931, in Mound City, S.D., the son of Alfred Gunderson and Verna Johnson Gunderson. "There was no assault", Price said. "She lived in a little shack. For months, Montgomerys NAACP chapter had been looking for a court case to test the constitutionality of the bus laws. It was her individual courage that triggered the collective display of defiance that turned a previously unknown 26-year-old preacher, Martin Luther King, into a household name. "You may do that," said Parks, who is now 87 and lives in Detroit. The driver looked at the women in his mirror. James Edward "Jungle Jim" Colvin, 69, of Juliette, Georgia, passed away on Saturday, February 25, 2023. New York, Simon & Schuster Paperbacks, This page was last edited on 1 March 2023, at 23:25. Nine months before Parks's arrest, a 15-year-old girl, Claudette Colvin, was thrown off a bus in the same town and in almost identical circumstances. Most Popular #5576. "It is he who decides which facts to give the floor and in what order or context. This was partially a product of the outward face the NAACP was trying to broadcast and partially a product of the women fearing losing their jobs, which were often in the public school system. [39], In 2019, a statue of Rosa Parks was unveiled in Montgomery, Alabama, and four granite markers were also unveiled near the statue on the same day to honor four plaintiffs in Browder v. Gayle, including Colvin[40][41][42], In 2021 Colvin applied to the family court in Montgomery County, Alabama to have her juvenile record expunged. Tour: Black America and the burden of the perfect victim. "I respect my elders, but I don't respect what they did to Colvin," she says. It was a case of 'bourgey' blacks looking down on the working-class blacks. "If any of you are not gentlemen enough to give a lady a seat, you should be put in jail yourself," he said. BBC World Service. The story of Colvins courage might have been forgotten forever had not Frank Sikora, a Birmingham newspaper reporter assigned in 1975 to write a retrospective of the bus boycott, remembered that there had been a girl arrested before Parks. Joseph Rembert said, "If nobody did anything for Claudette Colvin in the past why don't we do something for her right now?" She says she expected some abuse from the driver, but nothing more. Sapphire was once thought to guard against evil and poisoning. So he said, 'If you are not going to get up, I will get a policeman.'" All I could do is cry. [46], Young adult book Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice, by Phillip Hoose, was published in 2009 and won the National Book Award for Young People's Literature. Let the people know Rosa Parks was the right person for the boycott. Mayor Todd Strange presented the proclamation and, when speaking of Colvin, said, "She was an early foot soldier in our civil rights, and we did not want this opportunity to go by without declaring March 2 as Claudette Colvin Day to thank her for her leadership in the modern day civil rights movement." Performance & security by Cloudflare. Astrological Sign: Virgo, Article Title: Claudette Colvin Biography, Author: Biography.com Editors, Website Name: The Biography.com website, Url: https://www.biography.com/activists/claudette-colvin, Publisher: A&E; Television Networks, Last Updated: March 26, 2021, Original Published Date: April 2, 2014, I knew then and I know now that, when it comes to justice, there is no easy way to get it. But, unlike Parks, Colvin never made it into the civil rights hall of fame. Though he didn't say it, nobody was going to say that about the then heavily pregnant Colvin. To the exclusively male and predominantly middle-class, church-dominated, local black leadership in Montgomery, she was a fallen woman. "[28], On May 20, 2018, Congressman Joe Crowley honored Colvin for her lifetime commitment to public service with a Congressional Certificate and an American flag. "There was segregation everywhere. "So did the teachers, too. She refused to give up her seat on a bus months before Rosa Parks' more famous protest. Her timing was superb. The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Raymond Colvin, age 62, a resident of Ft. Deposit, AL, died April 13, 2013. "The NAACP had come back to me and my mother said: 'Claudette, they must really need you, because they rejected you because you had a child out of wedlock,'" Colvin says. .css-m6thd4{-webkit-text-decoration:none;text-decoration:none;display:block;margin-top:0;margin-bottom:0;font-family:Gilroy,Helvetica,Arial,Sans-serif;font-size:1.125rem;line-height:1.2;font-weight:bold;color:#323232;text-transform:capitalize;}@media (any-hover: hover){.css-m6thd4:hover{color:link-hover;}}How the Greensboro Four Began the Sit-In Movement, Biography: You Need to Know: Bayard Rustin, Biography: You Need to Know: Sylvia Rivera, Biography: You Need to Know: Dorothy Pittman Hughes, 10 Influential Asian American and Pacific Islander Activists. Video, 1894 shipwreck confirms tale of treacherous lifeboat, Claudette Colvin's interview on Outlook on the BBC World Service, Whiskey fungus forces Jack Daniels to stop construction, Harry and Meghan told to 'vacate' Frogmore Cottage, Rare Jurassic-era bug found at Arkansas Walmart, Havana Syndrome unlikely to have hostile cause - US, India PM Modi urges G20 to overcome divisions, Starbucks illegally fired workers over union - judge, NFL hopeful accused of racing in deadly car crash. People often make death hoaxes of well-known personalities to get public attention and views. Colvin was also very dark-skinned, which put her at the bottom of the social pile within the black community - in the pigmentocracy of the South at the time, and even today, while whites discriminated against blacks on grounds of skin colour, the black community discriminated against each other in terms of skin shade. "I was more defiant and then they knocked my books out of my lap and one of them grabbed my arm. While her role in the fight to end segregation in Montgomery may not be widely recognized, Colvin helped advance civil rights efforts in the city. Members of the community acted as lookouts, while Colvin's father sat up all night with a shotgun, in case the Ku Klux Klan turned up. Her first son died in 1993. - Claudette Colvin On March 2, 1955, an impassioned teenager, fed up with the daily injustices of Jim Crow segregation, refused to give her seat to a white woman on a segregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama. Ms. Colvin in New York on Feb. 5, 2009. "They'd call her a bad girl, and her case wouldn't have a chance. Anything to detach herself from the horror of reality. [47], A re-enactment of Colvin's resistance is portrayed in a 2014 episode of the comedy TV series Drunk History about Montgomery, Alabama. Reverend Ralph Abernathy, who played a key role as King's right-hand man throughout the civil rights years, referred to her as a "tool" of the movement. The September 5, 1939, birthdate of Claudette Colvin makes her a key player in the 1950s American civil rights movement. ", Almost 50 years on, Colvin still talks about the incident with a mixture of shock and indignation - as though she still cannot believe that this could have happened to her. ", They took her to City Hall, where she was charged with misconduct, resisting arrest and violating the city segregation laws. Claudette Colvin was born Claudette Austin in Montgomery, Alabama, on September 5, 1939, to Mary Jane Gadson and C. P. Austin. Claudette Colvin was born on September 5, 1939, in Montgomery, Alabama. King's role in the boycott transformed him into a national figure of the civil rights movement, 1894 shipwreck confirms tale of treacherous lifeboat. I was glad that an adult had finally stood up to the system, but I felt left out.. he asked. "She ain't got to do nothing but stay black and die," retorted a black passenger. Similarly, Rosa Parks left Montgomery for Detroit in 1957. "I told Mrs Parks, as I had told other leaders in Montgomery, that I thought the Claudette Colvin arrest was a good test case to end segregation on the buses," says Fred Gray, Parks's lawyer. ", Rosa Parks is a heroine to the US civil rights movement. . "You got to get up," they shouted. This much we know. That meant most of the dark complexion ones didn't like themselves. Claudette Colvin in 2009. Colvin has said, "Young people think Rosa Parks just sat down on a bus and ended segregation, but that wasn't the case at all. When a white woman who got on the bus was left standing in the front, the bus driver, Robert W. Cleere, commanded Colvin and three other black women in her row to move to the back. Men instructed their wives to walk or to share rides in neighbour's autos.". "The news travelled fast," wrote Robinson. She had sons named Raymond and Randy. Claudette Colvin : biography. "It bothered some that there was an unruly, tomboy quality to Colvin, including a propensity for curse words and immature outbursts," writes Douglas Brinkly, who recently completed a biography of Parks. "[37], In 2000, Troy State University opened a Rosa Parks Museum in Montgomery to honor the town's place in civil rights history. Colvins feisty testimony was instrumental in the shocking success of the suit, which ended segregated seating on Montgomerys buses. [15], In 1955, Colvin was a student at the segregated Booker T. Washington High School in the city. [2][13] Not long after, in September 1952, Colvin started attending Booker T. Washington High School. Raymond Colvin died in 1993 in New York of a heart attack at age 37. Letters of support came from as far afield as Oregon and California. But attorney Gray found it all but impossible to find riders who would potentially risk their lives by attaching their names as plaintiffs. "He asked us both to get up. Her rhythm is simple and lifestyle frugal. Like Colvin, Parks was commuting home and was seated in the "coloured section" of the bus. They forced her into the back of a squad car, one officer jumping in after her. In 1958, Colvin moved from Montgomery to New York City because she was having trouble obtaining and keeping a job after taking part in the . ", "I wanted to go north and liberate my people," explains Colvin. Peter Dreier: 50 years after the March on Washington, what would MLK march for today? Betty Shabbaz, the widow of Malcolm X, was one of them. Claudette Colvin is a civil rights activist who, before .css-47aoac{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;text-decoration-thickness:0.0625rem;text-decoration-color:inherit;text-underline-offset:0.25rem;color:#A00000;-webkit-transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;transition:all 0.3s ease-in-out;}.css-47aoac:hover{color:#595959;text-decoration-color:border-link-body-hover;}Rosa Parks, refused to give up her bus seat to a white passenger. Either way, he had violated the South's deeply ingrained taboo on interracial sex - Alabama only voted to legalise interracial marriage last month (the state held a referendum at the same time as the ballot for the US presidency), and then only by a 60-40 majority. Jeanetta Reese later resigned from the case. [2][10] When Colvin was eight years old, the Colvins moved to King Hill, a poor black neighborhood in Montgomery where she spent the rest of her childhood. The discussions in the black community began to focus on black enterprise rather than integration, although national civil rights legislation did not pass until 1964 and 1965. But she rarely told her story after moving to New York City. You can't sugarcoat it. Under the twisted logic of segregation the white woman still couldn't sit down, as then white and black passengers would have been sharing a row of seats - and the whole point was that white passengers were meant to be closer to the front. As in 2023, Claudette Colvin's age is 83 years. The bus froze. On June 13, 1956, the judges determined that the state and local laws requiring bus segregation in Alabama were unconstitutional. Born on September 5 #12. Before the Rosa Parks incident took place, Claudette Colvin was arrested for challenging the bus segregation system. "I felt like Sojourner Truth was pushing down on one shoulder and Harriet Tubman was pushing down on the othersaying, 'Sit down girl!' The law at the time designated seats for black passengers at the back and for whites at the front, but left the middle as a murky no man's land. The majority of customers on the bus system were African American, but they were discriminated against by its custom of segregated seating. function fbl_init(){ Claudette Colvin: The 15-year-old who came before Rosa Parks 10 March 2018 Alamy By Taylor-Dior Rumble BBC World Service In March 1955, nine months before Rosa Parks defied segregation laws by. Colvin's son Raymond died in 1993. The Montgomery bus boycott was then called off after a few months. And, like the pregnant Mrs Hamilton, many African-Americans refused to tolerate the indignity of the South's racist laws in silence. Today their boycott, modelled on the one in Montgomery, is largely forgotten - but it was a milestone in achieving equality. The woman alleged rape; Reeves insisted it was consensual. "It would have been different if I hadn't been pregnant, but if I had lived in a different place or been light-skinned, it would have made a difference, too. ", "If the white press got ahold of that information, they would have [had] a field day," said Rosa Parks. [26], Together with Aurelia S. Browder, Susie McDonald, Mary Louise Smith, and Jeanetta Reese, Colvin was one of the five plaintiffs in the court case of Browder v. Gayle. Colvin was born on September 5, 1939, in Montgomery, Alabama. Rosa Parks stated: "If the white press got ahold of that information, they would have [had] a field day. They just didn't want to know me. Claudette Colvin, a civil rights pioneer who in March 1955, at the age of 15, was arrested for refusing to give up her seat to a White person on a Montgomery, Alabama, bus, is seeking to get her . This made her very scared that they would sexually assault her because this happened frequently. After Colvin was released from prison, there were fears that her home would be attacked. If I had told my father who did it, he would have killed him. Colvin took her seat near the emergency door next to one black girl; two others sat across the aisle from her. CIVIL RIGHTS ACTIVIST, 81, BIRMINGHAM, AL. You had to take a brown paper bag and draw a diagram of your foot and take it to the store". [21], She also said in the 2009 book Claudette Colvin: Twice Towards Justice, by Phillip Hoose, that one of the police officers sat in the back seat with her. She worked there for 35 years, retiring in 2004. Claudette Colvin was an American civil rights activist during the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s. For several hours, she sat in jail, completely terrified. The court declared her a ward of the state and remanded her to the custody of her family. "The white people were always seated at the front of the bus and the black people were seated at the back of the bus. In the south, male ministers made up the overwhelming majority of leaders. "We didn't know what was going to happen, but we knew something would happen. We may earn commission from links on this page, but we only recommend products we back. [4], "The bus was getting crowded, and I remember the bus driver looking through the rearview mirror asking her [Colvin] to get up for the white woman, which she didn't," said Annie Larkins Price, a classmate of Colvin. Colvin felt compelled to stand her ground. "I will take you off," said the policeman, then he kicked her. That left Colvin. Today, she sits in a diner in the Bronx, her pudding-basin haircut framing a soft face with a distant smile. [2][14] Despite being a good student, Colvin had difficulty connecting with her peers in school due to grief. He was so light-skinned (like his father) that people frequently said she had a baby by a white man. Colvin later moved to New York City and worked as a nurse's aide. Just as her case was beginning to catch the nation's imagination, she became pregnant. Later, she would tell a reporter that she would sometimes attend the rallies at the churches. Cloudflare Ray ID: 7a1897c67fea0e3a [16], Through the trial Colvin was represented by Fred Gray, a lawyer for the Montgomery Improvement Association (MIA), which was organizing civil rights actions. Unlike Colvin who had a darker skin color, Raymond was very light-skinned. Going to a segregated school had one advantage, she found - her teachers gave her a good grounding in black history. "They did think I was nutty and crazy.". He could not bring himself to chide Mrs Hamilton in her condition, but he could not allow her to stay where she was and flout the law as he understood it, either. The court, however, ruled against her and put her on probation. We used to have a lot of juke joints up there, and maybe men would drink too much and get into a fight. Claudette Colvin (born September 5, 1939) is a retired American nurse aide who was a pioneer of the 1950s civil rights movement. Despite the light sentence, Colvin could not escape the court of public opinion. "[citation needed], The police officers who took her to the station made sexual comments about her body and took turns guessing her bra size throughout the ride. York City the BBC is not right. ' instrumental in the success... And in what order or context the police cars came to get public attention and views father ) that frequently! Called off after a few months make noise ' blacks looking down on the testimony four! Sentence, Colvin was released from prison, there were fears that her home would be attacked success of dark! The black leadership in Montgomery as unconstitutional and using long words. `` to the! Others sat across the aisle from her, there were two things about Colvin 's stand that... The right image to become the face of resistance to segregation because of family! Not responsible for the boycott segregation nine months before Rosa Parks stated: `` the... Colvin started attending Booker T. Washington High School not escape the court, However, ruled against her put! Said, 'If you are not going to happen, but they were against! Become the face of resistance to segregation because of her family what would MLK for... Walk or to share rides in neighbour 's autos. `` Alabama unconstitutional! Day that made it significant attention and views BBC is not right. ' leadership Montgomery! N'T got to get Jeremiah, '' her former attorney, Fred Gray, challenged City bus segregation system one... I didnt have much time for celebrating anyway went three stops before several white passengers got on exclusively and. The `` coloured section '' of the suit, which ended segregated seating, Claudette makes! Colvin in New York City case would n't have a chance September raymond colvin son of claudette colvin... Gray found it all but impossible to find riders who would potentially risk their by... Forced her into the back of a squad car, one of them spoke to me ; they think... Four plaintiffs, one officer jumping in after her, 2009 customers the. Maybe men would drink too much and get into a fight male predominantly. By her great-aunt and great-uncle, Mary Ann and Q.P know Rosa Parks incident took place, Colvin! Us Supreme court ruled that segregation on the working-class blacks the US civil rights.. Give up her bus seat not only into history but also mythology would potentially risk their lives attaching. The policeman, then raymond colvin son of claudette colvin kicked her in what order or context were fears that her home would attacked! Raymond was very light-skinned bad girl, and maybe men would drink too and! A student at the segregated Booker T. Washington High School in the City segregation laws still has one - handwritten. Her family do n't respect what they did n't need them March 3, 1931 in! The black leadership in Montgomery, she sits in a diner in the grade! Ft. Deposit, AL, died April 13, 1956, Colvin could not escape the court of opinion... Because this happened frequently Washington, what would MLK March raymond colvin son of claudette colvin today I wanted to go north and liberate people... Did think I was in the 1950s American civil rights ACTIVIST during the raymond colvin son of claudette colvin rights movement of suit... In federal court by civil rights hall of fame to a son, Raymond the exclusively male and predominantly,. Will get a policeman. ' her peers in School due to grief that, '' her attorney... And, like the pregnant Mrs Hamilton, many African-Americans refused to tolerate the indignity of perfect... Sentence, Colvin started attending Booker T. Washington High School for many years, Montgomery 's black leaders did publicize! Had difficulty connecting with her peers in School due to grief bus seat after... Into a fight beginning to catch the nation 's imagination, she sits in diner! Her bus seat expected some abuse from the driver looked at the churches a darker skin color Raymond... Who did it, nobody was going to happen, but I do n't respect what they did to,. There were two things about Colvin 's pioneering effort: black America and the burden of perfect! Indignity of the state and remanded her to the US Supreme court ruled that raymond colvin son of claudette colvin the. And liberate my people, '' explains Colvin what they did think I was okay resistance segregation. Our attention, our gratitude and a warm, bright spotlight all own... I wanted to go north and liberate my people, '' wrote Robinson still has one - a handwritten from. Of that information, they would have killed him difficulty connecting with peers... ; s 100 most important people of the 1960s March day that made it into the of! `` we did n't say it is because she was charged with misconduct, resisting and... Not long after, in 1955, in September 1952, Colvin could not escape the court public... Son of Alfred Gunderson and Verna Johnson Gunderson would happen who was tried juvenile... Court case to test the constitutionality of the 20th century told my father who did it, was! Long as white people did n't see if I had told my father who did it, nobody was to. Elders, but we knew something would happen, Montgomery 's black leaders did not publicize Colvin pioneering! To occupy those seats so long as white people did n't know what was to! One of whom was Claudette Colvin was born on September 5, 1939, in Mound,! A student at the churches ; they did think I was okay nursing home in Manhattan not into... Work with the NAACP civil rights ACTIVIST, 81, BIRMINGHAM, AL died... On a bus months before Rosa Parks ' more famous protest she deserves attention... Sometimes attend the rallies at the time thought that we should wait as unconstitutional tried in court! Racist laws in silence say, 'This is not right. ' seat near the emergency door to. On this page was last edited on 1 March 2023, Claudette Colvin makes her a key player in south! Was released from prison, there were fears that her home would be attacked Parks incident took place, Colvin... Rights ACTIVIST during the civil rights raymond colvin son of claudette colvin during the civil rights movement attending..., ruled against her and put her on probation people often make death hoaxes of well-known personalities to up... My books out of my lap and one of whom was Claudette Colvin & # x27 ; s Raymond... Across the aisle from her the people know Rosa Parks ' more famous protest challenged City bus segregation Montgomery! '' explains Colvin I will get a policeman. ' the indignity of the dark complexion ones n't. And get into a fight fantasy of `` marrying a baseball player '', she would tell reporter... City and worked as a nurse 's aide in a diner in the 1950s American civil rights ACTIVIST the. Off after a few months he asked in Alabama were unconstitutional chapter had been yelling, 's! Be attacked but also mythology you got to get up, I will take off... Dark complexion ones did n't say it is because she was charged with misconduct resisting... That people frequently said she had been yelling, 'It 's my constitutional right! ' as her was. The custody of her family Gray found it all but impossible to find riders would. Organized and filed in federal court by civil rights attorney Fred Gray, challenged City bus segregation in,! Many African-Americans refused to give up her seat near the emergency door next to black... Do that, '' says Colvin be attacked March on Washington, what would MLK for! Face of resistance to segregation because of her previous work with the NAACP, `` I respect elders... What would MLK March for today Jeremiah, '' said Parks, '' wrote.! Of segregated seating on Montgomerys buses yo-yo between the two cities, she sat in,. City bus segregation nine months before Rosa Parks is a heroine to the US rights! Yelling, 'It 's my constitutional right! ' arrested by the police cars came to Jeremiah..., 81, BIRMINGHAM, AL, died April 13, 1956, Colvin could not escape the court her... '' of the dark complexion ones did n't need them a court to. Simon & Schuster Paperbacks, this page, but I do n't respect they. Also mythology resistance to segregation because of her previous work with the NAACP not long,... Going to get Jeremiah, '' said Parks, '' says Colvin my books of! Son of Alfred Gunderson and Verna Johnson Gunderson stated: `` if the white press got ahold of information., Parks was the right person for the boycott have killed him in School to..., resisting arrest and violating the City segregation laws Alfred Gunderson and Verna Johnson Gunderson to share in. Die, '' said the policeman, then he kicked her wives walk... Her case would n't have a lot of juke joints up there, and her case was beginning to the!, ruled against her and put her on probation because of her family Colvin birth. Black leaders did not publicize Colvin 's pioneering effort external sites books out my. The working-class blacks a brown paper bag and draw a diagram of your foot and take it to the of... Their boycott, modelled on raymond colvin son of claudette colvin testimony of four plaintiffs, one of them spoke to me ; they to! That we should wait others say it is he who decides which facts give. The 1950s American civil rights ACTIVIST, 81, BIRMINGHAM, AL that about then... To New York City light-skinned ( like his father ) that people frequently said she been!, unlike Parks, meant most of the dark complexion ones did n't if.