She Persisted: Claudette Colvin

December 1, 2020
Cline-Ransom writes the moving story of young civil rights pioneer Claudette Colvin in this chapter-book biography that expands the She Persisted picture-book series created by Chelsea Clinton and Alexandra Boiger. Weaving together detailed historical background and personal information about Colvin's life, Cline-Ransome brings the teen activist to life with great compassion and impressive brevity. From her humble beginnings in Pine Level, Alabama, to the loss of her sister to polio when Colvin was 13, readers learn the personal struggles the youth experienced as well as some of her triumphs, such as her frequent victories in class spelling bees, before being pushed into the spotlight for refusing to give up her seat to a White woman months before Rosa Parks would. The book very briefly discusses the politics behind why Colvin is lesser-known than Rosa Parks, focusing on community activists' leeriness of her youth and not mentioning her pregnancy. With an eye toward the audience, the book keeps Colvin's emotional journey at its heart even as it summarizes the boycott in conclusion. Flint's occasional black-and-white interior illustrations emulate Boiger's airy style, depicting Colvin with her loving family, riding in a Montgomery bus in a scene foreshadowing her history-making moment, and praying in a jail cell. Suggestions for how readers might persist appear in the backmatter. A noteworthy start for chapter-book readers wishing to read more about young leaders of the movement. (further reading, websites) (Biography. 6-9)

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December 15, 2020
Grades 2-4 Meet Claudette Colvin, whose refusal to give up her seat on a segregated city bus was an early sign that Black residents of Montgomery, Alabama, would use civil disobedience in the face of injustice. Born in 1939, Colvin was raised by her aunt and uncle in a loving, religious household. In her segregated high school, she learned about African countries, Black history, and civil rights. And in 1955, police dragged 15-year-old Claudette from her bus seat and threw her in jail. She was charged and found guilty. Her testimony in the appeals court helped bring about the Montgomery bus boycott, sparked by Rosa Parks' similar act of nonviolent resistance later that year. An appended section suggests five ways that readers can learn more about their rights. Ransome offers a well-balanced and very readable account of Colvin's family life, her values, and her reasons for resisting unjust laws. Illustrations, not seen in final form, appear on about half the pages. From the She Persisted biography series, here's an engaging introduction to a young civil rights hero.Women in Focus: The 19th in 2020

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February 1, 2021

Gr 1-4-In March 1955, nine months before Rosa Parks made her historic stand against segregation on a Montgomery bus, Black teenager Claudette Colvin (b. 1939) refused to give up her Montgomery bus seat to a white woman. Arrested and verbally abused by police, 15-year-old Colvin endured her trial, where she was found guilty. Following Parks's arrest in December 1955, attorney Fred Gray sued the state of Alabama in Browder v. Gayle. The case sought to challenge state statutes and city ordinances instituting segregation on Montgomery buses; Colvin was tapped as one of the plaintiffs. Colvin, a devoutly religious and thoughtful young woman, was acutely aware of the injustices of Jim Crow laws and understood that the bus segregation laws violated her constitutional rights. This title provides a sufficient introduction to Colvin's role in the civil rights movement. Her religious devotion is emphasized and accounts of her arrest and trial are well-explored and provide an engaging read. The text ends right after Colvin testifies in court in the case of Browder v. Gayle, and readers will wonder what became of the teenager later in her life. Older readers could seek further information about Colvin in Phillip Hoose's Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice. VERDICT Cline-Ransome's narrative provides a knowledgable, interesting introduction to an important player in the civil rights movement. Recommended for school and public libraries.-Margaret Nunes, formerly at Gwinnett County P.L., GA

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