02/03/2026
PRESS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Media Contact: Ashley Roseboro
Phone: (202) 524-1663
Email: [email protected]
The Abyssinian Baptist Church to Host
Special Tribute to Civil Rights Pioneer
CLAUDETTE COLVIN
National civil rights leaders, elected officials, and community members will gather in Harlem to honor the woman who refused to give up her bus seat nine months before Rosa Parks.
NEW YORK, NY — The Abyssinian Baptist Church, one of the nation's oldest and most influential African American churches, will host a special tribute service honoring the life and legacy of Claudette Colvin, the civil rights pioneer who, at just 15 years old, refused to give up her bus seat in Montgomery, Alabama, nine months before Rosa Parks' historic act of resistance.
The tribute service will feature remarks from nationally recognized civil rights leaders, elected officials, clergy, and family members. Confirmed speakers include Marc Morial, President National Urban League, Rev. Al Sharpton, Founder of the National Action Network; U.S. Representative Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY-14); Maya Wiley, President of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights; Janai Nelson, President of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund; and Tamika Mallory, Founder of Until Freedom, Alabama State Representative Phillip Ensler, among others.
Rev. Dr. Kevin R. Johnson, Senior Pastor of Abyssinian Baptist Church, will preside over the service. Rev. Dr. Frederick D. Haynes III will deliver the eulogy.
EVENT DETAILS
WHAT: A Special Tribute to the Life and Legacy of Claudette Colvin
WHEN: Friday, February 6, 2026, at 11:00 AM ET
WHERE: The Abyssinian Baptist Church
132 Odell Clarke Place (West 138th Street), New York, NY 10030
ABOUT CLAUDETTE COLVIN
On March 2, 1955, fifteen-year-old Claudette Colvin was arrested in Montgomery, Alabama, for refusing to give up her seat to a white woman on a city bus — nine months before Rosa Parks' historic act. She became one of four plaintiffs in Browder v. Gayle, the landmark federal case that successfully challenged bus segregation and led the U.S. Supreme Court to declare Alabama's bus segregation laws unconstitutional.
Ms. Colvin later moved to New York City, where she worked for 30 years as a nursing assistant at a Catholic nursing home in the Bronx. In 1990, New York Governor Mario M. Cuomo presented her with the MLK, Jr. Medal of Freedom — New York State's highest honor for civil and human rights accomplishments. Her story reached new generations through Phillip Hoose's 2009 National Book Award-winning biography, "Claudette Colvin: Twice Toward Justice."
In December 2021, after 66 years, her arrest record was finally expunged. In 2023, at age 84, she founded the Claudette Colvin Foundation to inspire and recognize youth for their community service.
Ms. Colvin passed away peacefully on January 13, 2026, in Texas, at the age of 86. A homegoing service and burial were held in Birmingham, Alabama, on January 24, 2026.
ABOUT THE ABYSSINIAN BAPTIST CHURCH
Founded in 1808, The Abyssinian Baptist Church is one of the oldest and most influential African American churches in the United States. Located in Harlem, the neo-Gothic landmark building has served as a center for spirituality, civil rights activism, and community empowerment for over two centuries. Notable past pastors include Adam Clayton Powell Sr. and Adam Clayton Powell Jr., who also served in the U.S. Congress.
MEDIA INFORMATION
Credentialed media are welcome to attend. For press credentials, interview requests, or additional information, please contact Ashley Roseboro at (202) 524-1663 or [email protected].
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