Claudette Colvin was a civil rights pioneer. She died this week at 86

By Matt Ozug,

Jeanette Woods

Published January 14, 2026 at 4:30 PM EST

In 1955, 15-year-old Claudette Colvin, a student from a Black high school in Montgomery, Ala., refused to move from her bus seat. The forgotten civil rights activist died this week.

Matt Ozug

See stories by Matt Ozug

Jeanette Woods

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