3821 – January 19, 2026 – I TOLD You So! – I know it’s Martin Luther King Jr. Day, BUT l want to look at the women on the bus…
Recently, January 14, 2026 – Claudette Colvin, a lesser-known figure who took a stand against racial discrimination as a teenager in Montgomery, Alabama, has died at age 86.
Nine months before Rosa Parks, 15-year-old Claudette Colvin refused to give up her seat to a white passenger on a city bus in Montgomery, Alabama.
“History had me glued to the seat,” the civil rights pioneer told the Guardian. “It felt as if Harriet Tubman’s hand was pushing me down on the one shoulder, and Sojourner Truth’s hand was pushing me down on the other. Learning about those two women gave me the courage to remain seated that day.”
She aspired to become a civil rights lawyer and when the bus driver ordered her to move, she responded, “It’s my constitutional right to sit here as much as that lady. I paid my fare.”
Claudette Colvin isn’t as famous as Rosa Parks because civil rights leaders chose Parks as the face of the Montgomery Bus Boycott due to Colvin’s age (15), darker skin, poverty, teenage pregnancy, and perceived unreliability, whereas Parks was an adult, respected NAACP secretary with a “middle-class look,” making her a more palatable symbol for the movement. Colvin’s defiance came months before Parks’, but leaders opted for Parks’ more “respectable” image to gain broader support, ultimately overshadowing Colvin’s crucial role in the legal challenge that desegregated buses.
Key Reasons for the Difference in Fame:
- Age & Perceived Reliability: Colvin was a minor (15), and leaders felt an adult like Parks would be a more trustworthy icon for a mainstream movement.
- Social Acceptability: Colvin was darker-skinned and poorer, while Parks had lighter skin and a “middle-class look” that was seen as more acceptable to wider society.
- Pregnancy: Colvin became pregnant shortly after her arrest, and leaders worried an unwed teenage mother wouldn’t be a good symbol for the movement.
- Status & Reputation: Parks was a respected NAACP secretary with established gravitas, whereas Colvin was a teenager whose defiance was seen as a juvenile outburst by some.
- Community Decision: Black leaders decided against publicizing Colvin’s case to avoid focusing on a potentially controversial figure, instead waiting for a stronger candidate like Parks for a test case.
“One thing especially bothered me – we Black students constantly put ourselves down,” she said in “Twice Toward Justice.” “The N-word – we were saying it to each other, to ourselves. I’d hear that word and I would start crying. I wouldn’t let people use it around me.”
After her arrest, she grew close with Parks. Other Black women followed her lead, refusing to surrender their seats, including Mary Louise Smith, Aurelia Browder and Susie McDonald. They brought the groundbreaking Browder v. Gayle lawsuit that resulted in Montgomery’s segregated bus system being declared unconstitutional.
“When it comes to justice, there is no easy way to get it,” she said. “You can’t sugarcoat it. You have to take a stand and say, ‘This is not right.’” Claudette said.
These brave women, who took a stand BY taking a seat… are not at all like the protestors we see today, who are protesting against ICE. (there’s really no comparison) Today’s protestors against ICE are breaking the law……… these women were NOT breaking the law. AND the cops that arrested them, should have been disciplined and schooled on the Constitution… NOT fired… but educated. We fought a civil war to FREE those captive in slavery… The democrats NOW want another civil war BUT it has nothing to do with freedom of any race… just their gluttony for power… their hate for America… and their loyalty to MARXISM.
I TOLD You So!
It’s been kind of a joke… when I mention something on air… and then all of a sudden it’s mentioned on one of the conservative networks that evening. Are they listening? They have their so-called experts… I’m JUST ME! But common sense… “trumps” the experts a lot!
Nobody likes an “I told you so person” BUT… I can’t help it this morning. I’m not necessarily proud of being mostly on target…. But it’s happening and NOW people are listening. I’ve been in broadcasting in some fashion for over 30 years now AND on my own as a broadcaster OR talking head (small head) over 15 years… We’ve talked about so many things. When I went o work for my mentor, Derry Brownfield, founder of the Brownfield Network – he was talking about things that… well, I knew nothing about and at first I thought… hmmm, conspiracy theorist. Remember when people talked about “Black helicopters”? …and we were told they didn’t exist? And now we have and are proud… black hawks… black helicopters. Derry was right!
Believe it or not, there is MUCH more in the podcast!
I TOLD You So!
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