Larry's Blog: Black History Month Honoree Claudette Colvin
By 1010 WINS' Larry Mullins
My Executive Producer Mrs. Sharon Barnes-Waters pulled a fast one on me today. I walked into the studio and there's this really regal, mature woman sitting in the green room, waiting to talk with me for our latest Black History Month series. She's introduced as the woman who in 1955 sat on a Montgomery, Alabama city bus, and who was booted off because she refused to give up her seat to a white woman. She was arrested, and her case became the lightning rod for the Supreme Court's 1956 decision to desegregate buses.
More: One-On-One With Claudette Colvin | Black History Month Photo Gallery
So, old genius here is standing there thinking, "this isn't Rosa Parks." What is this, some kind of joke? Guess again. Claudette Colvin was the then-15 year old who did the exact same thing as Ms. Parks had done -- only Colvin did it nine months beforehand. And the more and more I talked with her, the more I understood the significance of her role in American Civil Rights. You don't hear much about her, because a more refined Ms. Parks (an NAACP secretary to boot), fit the role and the face of the movement, as opposed to a "defiant" pregnant teenager.
But it was this teenager who "lawyered up," and went after the bus system. It was her case that made it all the way to the Supreme Court, while Ms. Parks' case was stalled in a lower State Court. As humble as she can be, Ms. Colvin made me promise to tell people that she wasn't trying to discredit or discount anything Ms. Parks had done -- and was in fact very proud of the so-called "mother of the civil rights era." Their families knew each other in fact! But I could tell from speaking with her, that she felt somewhat deflated, in that it was her case which prompted the change in America, yet she got little or no credit. Be sure to check out my entire interview with her and her family, as they embark on a mission to "enhance" history by seeking her inclusion in the story of the Montgomery bus incidents.
Ms. Colvin has a wonderful spirit and a very infectious laugh! Gosh I felt like I was talking with my own momma. And deep inside, I hope the history-writers and even the folks at the new African-American Museum in Washington will honor her, and us, with the whole story. Not to take away from Momma Parks, but to simply include a very important part, Ms. Colvin who was left out. Love you Momma C!!!
