From left to right: Jenn Colvin, Claudette Colvin, and Cheryl Colvin, Jenn鈥檚 mother, at an event hosted by the Boston College School of Social Work in 2015. File photo by Lee Pellegrini.
Jenn Colvin, an immigration policy writer in Washington, D.C., says that her life may have gone in a different direction if not for a heroic act of defiance by her paternal grandmother nearly 70 years ago.聽
Claudette Colvin,聽Jenn鈥檚 grandmother, was arrested and jailed for refusing to give up her seat to a white person on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama, in March 1955鈥攏ine months before Rosa Parks made a similar stand against segregation. At just 15, Claudette was charged with violating Montgomery鈥檚 segregation ordinance, disturbing the peace, and assaulting a police officer and was sentenced to probation. A year later, she became a plaintiff in Browder v. Gayle, the court case that bus segregation laws in Alabama.
鈥淢y grandmother fought for me so that I could fight for other people,鈥� says Jenn, who graduated from the Boston College School of Social Work in 2016. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 what I鈥檝e given my life to鈥攔eally helping other people.鈥�
Although the charges against Claudette for disturbing the peace and breaking the segregation law were dropped, the charge for assaulting a police officer stuck with her for 66 years. Then, in December, Claudette had her juvenile court records by a judge, some 24,000 days after she was initially arrested and placed on probation. One month later, Hollywood star Anthony Mackie announced that he would of the unsung civil rights pioneer, who is now 82.
Jenn hopes the film will encourage young people to fight for civil rights and human dignity, a commitment that her grandmother instilled in her. 鈥淏lack people, Latino people, gay people鈥攚e still need to be accurately represented,鈥� she says.
Claudette agrees. 鈥淪ixty-seven years ago, when history glued me to the seat of that bus in Montgomery, I could never have imagined that standing up for my rights could spark a movement that would change the course of history,鈥� she . 鈥淚t is really an honor to have my story retold, by Mr. Mackie, for future generations to learn about our past so they can move forward knowing that progress is possible and things do get better.鈥�
Jenn credits Claudette with helping her find her path鈥攁nd paving the way for her to improve the lives of marginalized people around the world. As part of her job, she works with a team of lawyers to ensure that the immigration policies she writes are fair, legal, and devoid of racism. 鈥淏ecause of my grandmother and other civil rights leaders, we, People of Color, can work to shape America,鈥� she says. 鈥淚s America perfect? No. But it is our home and I am proud to be an African American.鈥澛�
Her grandmother鈥檚 story has always been at the forefront of her mind, she says, giving her the confidence to 鈥渕ake it to where I am now and push through the racism.鈥� She grew up in Atlanta, where, she says, she was often told she was 鈥渢oo smart to be Black.鈥� But she didn鈥檛 let the misguided opinions of others get in her way, earning a bachelor鈥檚 degree in international studies from Georgia State University in 2013 and a master鈥檚 degree in social work from 51茶馆 in 2016.
“Because of my grandmother and other civil rights leaders, we, People of Color, can work to shape America.”
Her experiences at 51茶馆 dovetailed with her interest in social justice and equality鈥攂oth in the U.S. and abroad. As a member of the global practice program, she spoke at a forum on race and justice and co-led a student group called the Global Forum on Social Issues. She conducted a census of homeless people in Boston during an internship with the city鈥檚, and then moved 8,600 miles away to organize programs for the in Ghana in the middle of the Ebola crisis.
鈥淏ecause my family is so attached to American history, I wanted to see what else is out there,鈥� she told 51茶馆 News in 2015. 鈥淚鈥檒l never give up going to civil rights events and will always be interested in American civil rights issues鈥攂ut what happens in the U.S. is not always what鈥檚 happening in the rest of the world.鈥�
Jenn鈥檚 ability to accept鈥攁nd embrace鈥攏uanced perspectives was on full display when she found out that Claudette鈥檚 juvenile court records had been expunged. She felt happy for her grandmother. How could she not? But that feeling of joy was tinged with sadness, too, and pain. After all, it wasn鈥檛 too long ago that it was legal for Claudette to be thrown in jail for refusing to give up her seat to a white person on an Alabama bus. 鈥淚t鈥檚 bittersweet,鈥� says Jenn. 鈥淚t鈥檚 good, but we鈥檙e rejoicing as a result of something that should not have happened.鈥澛�
She wants the biopic to remind people that the fight to combat racism is far from over, citing unjust killings of Black people at the hands of police as a prime example of its continued prevalence. 鈥淚 just hope that her story brings justice and light to the other problems that are still going on,鈥� she says.