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Claudette Colvin Quotes

1939–2026 United States

Claudette Colvin (September 5, 1939 – January 2026) was a pioneer of the civil rights movement. On March 2, 1955, she was the first person arrested for resisting bus segregation in Montgomery, Alabama, preceding the more publicized Rosa Parks incident by nine months, although not as well known.

United States
Activists

Random Claudette Colvin quote

3 quotes

It's my constitutional right to sit here as much as that lady. I paid my fare, it's my constitutional right.

I knew then and I know now that, when it comes to justice, there is no easy way to get it. You can't sugarcoat it, You have to take a stand and say, 'This is not right.'

I felt like Sojourner Truth was pushing down on one shoulder and Harriet Tubman was pushing down on the other, saying, 'Sit down girl!' I was glued to my seat.

Attribution

Quotes and notes from Wikiquote: Claudette Colvin (page history), available under CC BY-SA 4.0.