Remembering Claudette Colvin

In “An Act of Courage,” you read about Claudette Colvin’s important role in history. In the 1950s, Colvin helped end segregation on public buses. She died this past January at age 86.

Gloria Laster is Colvin’s younger sister. Laster recently spoke with Scholastic News about Colvin’s life and legacy.

Scholastic News: What was Colvin like as a kid?

Gloria Laster: Growing up, I knew that there was something special about her. She was very studious. She read books. She was a history buff, and she knew a little bit about everything. 

SN: What happened on March 2, 1955, in Montgomery, Alabama? 

GL: Claudette and her friends walked downtown to get a soda and window-shop. When they went to go back home and get on the bus, that’s when the incident happened. Some of her friends got up when they were asked. Claudette said she would have gotten up had it been an elderly White lady. But it was a young White lady. And she said, “No.” 

SN: Was that an unusual situation? 

GL: Hundreds, if not thousands, of people were harassed on the Montgomery buses. The bus driver had power over anyone entering the bus. Black people would get on the bus and pay their dime fare. Then they’d have to get off, walk to the back to get back on, and either stand or take a seat at the back. They could not be in the eyesight of the White people. 

SN: Why do you think Colvin refused to give up her seat?

GL: She said she just felt glued to the seat. In her young 15-year-old mind, she had no fear. At that point, anger and disgust and all those emotions of the injustices that were happening to Black people during that time were just boiling over. She had hit her boiling point. And so she remained seated. She was not going to move. That’s when the police were called. 

SN: What happened next?

GL: She was hauled off and taken to jail. They took her to the adult jail. It was only a few hours. But to her, she said it seemed like a couple of days. 

Colvin and three women sued Montgomery officials over the bus policy. The case was called Browder v. Gayle. It made it all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. In 1956, the Court sided with Colvin and the three women. It ruled that segregation on public buses was illegal.

SN: Why was that case so important?

GL: For Black people to be able to stand before an all-White U.S. Supreme Court in 1956 and win, that’s a big deal. The case was successful. It impacted public transportation across the United States. 

SN: What do you want people to remember most about your sister?

GL: Claudette was an ordinary person who did an extraordinary thing. She lived a quiet life. But she also wanted people to live out their dreams, to know their rights, and to stand up even if you stand alone. That’s what she wanted to tell young people. That even the youngest person has a voice. When you look into the mirror, be your own hero. Don’t wait.

Note: The interview has been edited and shortened.