She was only 15 years old when her bus driver had commanded her to move to the back of the bus. Claudette Colvin was very first woman to refuse to give up her seat, the first woman to stand up against discrimination.

You may have thought that Rosa Parks was the first person to refuse to give up her seat, but that isn’t historically accurate; Colvin did so nine months before. 

Some people say Colvin’s story is overlooked because of her age. She was too young at the time of her protest and wasn’t considered a “reliable” resource.

Minutes after being told to move, the bus driver called a police officer who then drug her out of the bus handcuffed.

Colvin did not accept the fact that Montgomery was segregated; she says knew that was wrong and completely unfair.

“History had me glued to the seat,” Colvin told NPR.

There were many consequences; she lost all of her friends and many parents had told their children not to associate with her because of her actions.

Sophomore Arlie TenHove supports her actions.

“She did the right thing, because she stood up for what she believed in and for that I respect her,” TenHove said.

Counselor Justin Campbell says Colvin deserves as must credit as Rosa Parks.

“I definitely feel she should be given her due credit,” Campbell said. “Even though she is not celebrated as much as Rosa Parks, the bigger picture is she opened the door for what Rosa did.”