EPISODE 4: BEFORE ROSA PARKS, THERE WAS CLAUDETTE COLVIN

On this day 70 years ago, 2 March 1955, 15-year-old Claudette Colvin refused to give up her seat to a white woman. Her courageous act of defiance led to her arrest nine months before Rosa Parks’ (1913-2005) infamous civil disobedience, igniting the flame for a legal battle that would ultimately dismantle racist bus segregation in the United States.

In this episode of 'Decolonised Minds,' we explore the now 85-year-old's story.

Despite her pivotal role, the public largely forgot Colvin's role, perhaps buried under the weight of time and overshadowed by more widely recognised figures of the US Civil Rights Movement. Yet, her bravery as a teenager helped lay the groundwork for the historic Montgomery bus boycott and a Supreme Court ruling that declared segregation on public buses unconstitutional.

Her story is a powerful testament to the importance of every voice—no matter how young or marginalised—in the fight for justice.