Rosa Parks and Claudette Colvin

Rosa Parks was born in Montgomery, Alabama on February 4, 1913. Parks is an important figure in American history because she was a civil rights activist. She strove for equal rights for the black community, as racial segregation was a prominent issue during her time.

Parks is known for refusing to give up her seat on the bus. This amazing feat took place over 60 years ago on December 1, 1955. Although Parks was later arrested, her protest shocked the world and . As a result, people began boycotting buses down South. Parks died on October 24, 2005.

That being said, Rosa Parks isn’t the only person who refused to give up her seat. Born on September 5, 1939, Claudette Colvin was also a civil rights activist. She also refused to give up her seat nine months before Rosa Parks did – at the age of 15. Although Colvin’s story didn’t garnish as much popularity as Park’s, her protest at such a young age reinforces the need for young people to stand up for what is right. Colvin is currently 82 years old. 

Through the movement both women helped spark, in 1956, Montgomery’s segregation bus system was claimed to be unconstitutional.