Karla Mercado: Pre-Rosa Parks Bus Activism

Karla Mercado writes: I heard from a friend who majors in American History that Rosa Parks wasn't the first to refuse to give up her seat on the bus for a white person. Nine months before, a 15-year-old named Claudette Colvin also refused. I found an article about her that was published less than a month ago. The site of the article is http://www.newsweek.com/id/187325. Her story was not overseen as thoroughly as Rosa Parks' story because of the fact that she was only a 15-year-old who became pregnant a few months later. The civil rights activists did not want a pregnant teenager to be the figure of their boycott. During Thursday's discussion, we noticed how Jo Ann Gibson Robinson's document on the Montgomery Bus Boycott lauded Rosa Parks' stature, stating that Parks was "dignified and reserved". We also heard from Lindsay that the Rosa Parks' incident was planned. I think that since Parks was part of the NAACP, the NAACP must've been aware of other people refusing to give up their seats on the bus for whites and decided that they needed an African American who was more involved with society and more respected to increase awareness. Civil rights activists needed a strong figure to represent their cause. I think that the activists were very clever to have chosen Rosa Parks, but at the same time, Claudette Colvin should also be remembered and recognized for her efforts.