Before Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama in 1955, there was a brave 15-year-old who chose not to sit at the back of the bus. That young girl was Colvin. Touting her constitutional rights to remain seated near the middle of the vehicle, Colvin challenged the driver and was subsequently arrested. She was the first woman to be detained for her resistance. However, her story isn’t nearly as well-known as Parks.
Truth be told…Colvin did not receive the same attention as Parks for a number of reasons: she did not have ‘good hair’, she was not fair-skinned, she was a teenager, and she got pregnant. The leaders in the Civil Rights Movement tried to keep up appearances and make the ‘most appealing’ protesters the most seen.
Ms. Colvin is still alive today. Thank you ma’am 🙏🏽
Author & Life Coach Tena Lawyer 