Find out “Was Claudette Colvin Pregnant At The Age of 16?” Rosa Parks and the Montgomery Bus Boycott began in 1955, but only a handful of people know about Civil Right Activist Claudette Colvin’s story.
This article will answer your questions and provide you with the legend of the Proud African-American Woman: was Claudette Colvin pregnant during or after her arrest?
Claudette Colvin was 15 when she was arrested for refusing to give her seat to a white woman on a bus in 1955.
Nine months later, Rosa Parks was arrested for the same reason, which led to the Montgomery Bus Boycott Campaign and the amendment to the segregation laws.
Was Claudette Colvin Pregnant At The Age of 16?
Claudette Colvin, now 83 years old, was pregnant during the proceedings of her case against the people who arrested her for not giving a seat to a white person.
In spite of this, she was not pregnant when the civil rights leaders decided not to pursue her case. They focused on making sure that the “most appealing” victims and protesters were highlighted.
In the summer following the incident, Claudette learned she was pregnant by an older man. This news convinced the leaders they had done the right thing not to pursue her case.
She didn’t receive as much attention as Rosa Parks because she didn’t have “fair-skinned” and “good hair,” which would have reduced the publicity of the so-called Campaign.
Over time, the news and stories of Claudette Colvin’s pregnancy changed utterly. People were told that she was pregnant at the time of her arrest and trial, which is entirely false.
In a nutshell, for those wondering: Was Claudette Colvin Pregnant? Yes, she was pregnant, but not during her arrest.
Was Civil Rights Activist Claudette Colvin Arrested?
Claudette Colvin was arrested on March 22, 1955, for not giving her seat to a white woman while riding a bus in Montgomery, Alabama.
She was dragged out of the bus, called off to the Police, and arrested just because she didn’t give her seat, although she was sitting in the “colored” section, which was separated for Black passengers.
The Civil Rights Activist, then only a 15-year-old Student, had recently learned about the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in her school; thus, she refused to surrender her seat as per her right.
Colvin stated that she was handcuffed, arrested, and forcibly removed from the bus by two Police officers.
Several American-African civil rights leaders, including Martin Luther King, Jr., were present to discuss her arrest with the Police commissioner. Finally, after several lengthy processing, she got bailed out by her minister.
Through the trial, she was convicted on all three charges in juvenile court: disturbing the peace, violating the segregation law, and assaulting a Police officer.
Although two of the above charges were dropped, the record of her arrest and adjudication of delinquency was not expunged until 2021 by the district court.
Claudette Colvin Legacy And Life After Activism
Claudette Colvin rarely told her story after she moved to New York City. On March 1956, she gave birth to her first son, Raymond, and left Montgomery to live with her older sister, Velma Colvin.
Later in 1960, she gave birth to her second son, Randy Claudette, while living in New York. Subsequently, she worked as a nurse’s aide in Manhattan until 2004.
In 2005, she told the Montgomery Advertisers that she was not angry about not getting recognition like Rosa Parks; instead, she was disappointed in NAACP.
She only wishes people to know that Rosa Parks was the right person for the 1955 Boycott, but the people should also know that four other victims were taken to challenge the former segregation law.
Later on May 20, 2018, Civil Rights Activist Colvin Claudette was honored with a Congressional Certificate and an American Flag for her lifetime commitment to public service.
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