Claudette Colvin of Montgomery, Alabama (photo in 1955). Nine months before Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a segregated bus, 15 year old Claudette Colvin did it first. She was arrested and convicted. But, she became pregnant as an unmarried teen. Civil rights leaders worried that the pregnancy would reflect poorly on the black community and risk a court case on segregation. So, the leaders chose Rosa Parks instead.
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