The front-runner of the African American Civil Rights Movement, Claudette Colvin always dared to seek the judgment and never settled for the double standard, which plagued the American society.
Alabama native Claudette is an African-American rebellious civil rights activist. She is also the first ever person imprisoned for opposing against bus segregation for black and white people.
Claudette’s Family; Unknown Pioneer Of African American Civil Rights Movement
Claudette Colvin was adopted by her relatives, C. P. Colvin, and Mary Jane Gadson-Austin. She was raised in a neighborhood of Alama, Montgomery surrounded by poor Afro-American community people.
Her father worked as a lawnmower, and her mother was a maid so meeting the financial family standards was hard.
Claudette Colvin pictures posted by a non-profit firm, Zeta Nu Zetas on 19 February 2015 (Photo: Zeta Nu Zeta's Facebook)
The Civil Rights Attorney first encounter with racism was at the age of four. It was back in 1943; her mom slapped her when she tried to touch some white people at a retail shop. The group of white boys pursued Claudette compare her color skin tone to them.
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Then, she faced another racism was on a Capital Heights bus downtown on 2 March 1955. The vehicle had allocated the seats of the white people in front and the black at the back. But the issue took an ugly turn when a driver, Robert W. Cleere threatened her to call the police if she didn't leave her seat to a white lady.
She firmly backed herself and didn't evacuate her place. The driver later called two police officers, Thomas J. Ward, and Paul Headley for forcefully shift her from the seat and after her denial, she was taken outside the vehicle.
She spent three hours in prison and later her mother and a pastor named Reverend H.H. Johnson bailed her out. The incident created havoc in the Alabama community, and then the State was ordered to end bus segregation on 20 December 1956. Although she initiated the African-American Civil Rights movement, she was never credited because she was pregnant with a married man. And she had to take the back seat as Rosa Parks was projected as the pioneer.
However, her initiation to right to Black community is still alive and is often applauded for her silent struggle toward freedom.
Claudette has an elder sister, Velma Colvin and after finding hard to get a job in her hometown, she shifted to New York in 1958 to live with her sibling.
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Had Children But Never Married, Her Son Died
Claudette had two sons named Raymond and Randy Colvin, and her first pregnancy was at the age of 16 with a much older man. During her pregnancy, she was abandoned by civil rights leaders. She gave birth to a fair-skin child named Raymond in the year 1956 whose skin tone was similar to her partner. Some people even opposed Claudette for delivering a white child.
Four years apart, she had another baby named Randy in 1960. Her son, Randy and his wife along with their five children reside in Atlanta. Claudette’s bravery and heroism is always an inspiration for her grandchildren.
Her elder son, Raymond was involved in drugs and alcohol overuse. He died at the age of 37 in 1993 due to the heart attack. Claudette currently ages 79, but she never had a husband. The biological father of her children is hidden from her bio and never married.
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How Much Is Claudette Colvin’s Net Worth?
Claudette summoned her net worth from the previous work at a nursing home in Alabama. She retired back in 2004 after her 35 years of nursing service.
She is also a civil right activist, who still is involved in the Philanthropic welfare of the society. According to Law Crossing, the salary of a Civil Rights Attorney in 2006 was $102,470. The average lawyer who has just graduated from college makes an annual average paycheck of $60,000. And within nine months of time, their income escalates to $85,000 per year.
Short Bio
The Civil Rights Leader was born on 5 September 1939 in Alabama as per wiki.
She attended Booker T. Washington High School from 1949 to 1956 but never completed her schooling. Later Claudette, 79, went to Alabama State Teachers College for a year and earned a Graduate Equivalent Diploma.
Unknown Facts About Claudette Colvin
Some unknown facts about Claudette Colvin are as follows;
- Claudette was a sharp-minded girl whose rebellious nature was seen from her early age.
- The Civil Right activist's most significant life achievement would be her bravery role at the age of 15 for abolishing the Alabama bus racial division.
- She was last person to testify in the Supreme court, which upheld the decision of United States District Court which determined that segregation in Alabama were unconstitutional.
