Claudette Colvin, who helped end racial segregation in the US by refusing to give up her bus seat to a white person, has died. She was 86 years old.
Colvin's protest, which led to her arrest, came in 1955 at the age of 15 while she was living in Montgomery, Alabama.
It happened nine months before the arrest of Rosa Parks, who also famously refused to give her bus seat to a white person, in a move that led to widespread boycotting of public transportation in the city, and a Supreme Court decision that outlawed such racial discrimination.
Colvin's arrest was largely unknown until 2009, when the first detailed book about her experience was published.
"She leaves behind a legacy of courage that helped change the course of American history," said a statement from the Claudette Colvin Legacy Foundation, which announced her death.
