Claudette Colvin

Claudette Colvin was a visionary with an activist mindset. Claudette was born on September fifth, 1939, in Birmingham, Alabama. The family life Claudette endured was nothing short of pain and suffering. Her father abandoned her at a young age. As if being neglected by her father was not enough, her aunt became her and her sister's primary caretaker after their mom ran out on them. Neglect and deceit from both parents were not easy on young Claudette Colvin, and yet she persevered. On Claudette's thirteenth birthday, her aunt died from polio she contracted in late summer 1952. These factors helped form young Claudette Colvin into a "teenaged activist" because she developed under severe stress as diamonds always form under pressure. She attended  Booker T. Washington High School and attained high grades throughout her high school experience. Being a black woman in the 1950s was not enough suffering for young Claudette Colvin, as she was later judged for her teenage pregnancy. Societal pretenses are why we must honor Claudette Colvin for her most authentic form of bravery, activism.

  Claudette Colvin's contribution to American society was her refusal to give up her seat on the bus. In the 1950s, she became revolutionary because she asserted her importance in one word, no. Although she stood on the movement's frontlines, she did not become the face society associates with challenging the bus rights authority. Discrimination affects all but this was much more severe because she stood up for her own people, and the movement did not stand up for her. Claudette's oppression went far beyond her race but to her skin color and teenage pregnancy. Her memorability is far more critical now than ever because of her fight towards justice twice. She tried to make the world better, and in turn, the world became harsher for her. Even though she may not have known everyone plagued by the same issue she faced, she changed the world.

  Based off of my research on Claudette Colvin, society has not changed much. The discrimination that plighted Claudette Colvin is the same that is still here today. As an African American, I should be proud our movement has changed from "We Shall Overcome" to "Black Lives Matter," but insurmountable change is necessary within and outside my race. Yes, little impacts surmount to a significant difference with leaders like Claudette Colvin, but how many more minor changes will finally equate to equality? Nevertheless, I am astonished by Claudette Colvin and hope more people take in her prosperous ideas to incite change.