Claudette Colvin

The story of Claudette Colvin is an important one in several ways. Her story went untold and she was done an injustice by being pushed aside so it's important that history is passed on accurately. Most importantly, she was only 15 when she refused to give up her seat and she took a stand without any planning or support from the movement who was behind Rosa Parks. This makes her a perfect model for tweens. She handled herself honorably when it happened and she stood up to the police not knowing who might help her if she was arrested. It's important for kids to read about a person like that so they can see that their peers can make a difference. The other part of the story was that despite the movement's rejection of Claudette as a public representative, she testified in the court case and helped them anyway. Young people need to see that her motives were truly just and that she wasn't at all concerned with notoriety. Despite that, it is amazing that so much time went by before she was given any recognition for what she helped to accomplish. There was an article in The New York Times this week about her and the author of the book. (read it here) It is the account of how Phillip Hoose found her story and pursued it until she consented to interviews. When Hoose found her and started interviewing, "One of her first questions: 'Can you get it into schools?” This speaks to her primary concern which has always been staying true to her ideals and getting justice for her community. Tweens couldn't ask for a better role model, and now they are lucky enough to have a National Book award winning story to introduce them to Claudette Colvin.