Claudette Colvin, a pivotal US civil rights pioneer, has died at the age of 86. In 1955, at just 15 years old, Colvin refused to surrender her seat to a white passenger on a segregated bus in Montgomery, Alabama, an act of defiance that predated Rosa Parks' more widely recognized protest by several months. Her foundation stated that Colvin leaves a legacy of courage that significantly impacted American history. Following her arrest for disturbing public order, Colvin became one of four plaintiffs in a lawsuit that successfully challenged segregated bus seating, influencing public transportation nationwide. Despite her early activism, she later faced ostracization and lived in relative obscurity for decades before receiving renewed recognition later in life, including a biography that won a National Book Award and the expungement of her 1955 arrest record in 2021.