SJR 10

SJR10 ENROLLED
1 SJR10
2 QNWR745-2
3 By Senators Figures, Albritton, Allen, Barfoot, Beasley, Bell,
4 Butler, Carnley, Chambliss, Chesteen, Coleman,
5 Coleman-Madison, Elliott, Givhan, Gudger, Hatcher, Hovey,
6 Jones, Kelley, Kitchens, Livingston, Melson, Orr, Price,
7 Roberts, Sessions, Shelnutt, Singleton, Smitherman, Stewart,
8 Stutts, Waggoner, Weaver, Williams, Woods
9 RFD: Rules
10 First Read: 14-Jan-26
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1 Enrolled, An Act,
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4 SJR___ CELEBRATING THE LIFE OF CLAUDETTE COLVIN.
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6WHEREAS, with an overwhelming sense of loss, we mourn
7 the death, yet celebrate the life, of Claudette Colvin of
8 Birmingham, Alabama, whose passing has left a void in the
9 lives of her family and friends; and
10WHEREAS, Claudette Colvin was born in Birmingham,
11 Alabama, on September 5, 1939, to C.P. Austin and Mary Jane
12 Austin (Gadson); she is the oldest of eight sisters; during
13 her early childhood, her adopted parents, Q.P. and Mary Ann
14 Colvin, lived in the rural community of Pine Level, Alabama;
15 Ms. Colvin attended the Springhill Baptist Elementary
16 School, then located on Ramer Route 1; later, Ms. Colvin
17 moved to the King Hill community of the state capital,
18 Montgomery; and
19WHEREAS, Ms. Colvin was arrested for a felony at the
20 age of fifteen, after refusing to give up her seat to a
21 young, white passenger on March 2, 1955, in Montgomery, nine
22 months before the arrest of Rosa Parks; and
23WHEREAS, her arrest sparked a successful lawsuit led
24 by famed Civil Rights Attorney, Fred D. Gray; Ms. Colvin,
25 along with Aurelia Browder, Susie McDonald, and Mary Louise
26 Smith, were plaintiffs in what would become the Supreme
27 Court case, Browder v. Gayle; at the age of 16, she gave
28 pivotal testimony that led the United States District Court
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29 for the Middle District of Alabama to issue a ruling
30 declaring the state's laws mandating bus segregation as
31 unconstitutional; the United States Supreme Court upheld
32 this ruling and on December 20, 1956, ordered the State of
33 Alabama and the City of Montgomery to end bus segregation
34 permanently; and
35WHEREAS, Ms. Colvin did not finish her senior year of
36 high school, partially due to her dedication to the social
37 justice movement; she worked hard to earn her General
38 Education Diploma and attended the Alabama State Teachers
39 College in Montgomery; and
40WHEREAS, Ms. Colvin's legacy simmered quietly until,
41 as early as 1979, her name began surfacing during Negro
42 History Month; Frank Sikora of the Birmingham News wrote a
43 feature story on her in 1980; in 1990, New York Governor,
44 Mario M. Cuomo, awarded her with the MLK, Jr. Medal of
45 Freedom, New York State's highest honor of recognition for
46 outstanding accomplishments in civil and human rights; the
47 Selma Times-Journal featured her in 1991; the National
48 Voting Rights Museum and Institute added a picture display
49 dedicated to Ms. Colvin in 1994; Lifetime Television
50 featured her story in 1995; she was featured in the cover
51 stories of USA Today, the Montgomery Advertiser, and the
52 Washington Post; she has been mentioned in several books,
53 including "Freedom's Children" by Ellen Levine, "Parting the
54 Waters" by Taylor Branch, and "Bus Ride to Justice" by
55 Attorney Fred D. Gray; Phillip Hoose's 2009 biography,
56 Claudette Colvin, Twice Toward Justice" received the
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57 Newberry Honor Book Award; and most recently, she
58 co-authored the children's book, "Claudette Colvin: I Want
59 Freedom Now!" with Phillip Hoose and illustrated by Bea
60 Jackson; and
61WHEREAS, despite many considering Ms. Colvin's 1955
62 act of civil disobedience to be the greatest achievement in
63 her life, Ms. Colvin always kept her eye on the future,
64 "paying it forward" to the next generation; by sharing her
65 story, she has empowered parents, community leaders, and
66 public officials to become agents of change; she created the
67 Claudette Colvin Foundation with the mission to inspire and
68 recognize youth and young adults for their service in
69 significantly improving life in communities across America;
70 her giving spirit is also shown by the success of her
71 descendants; she is the mother of two boys, the eldest of
72 whom sadly passed at her home in 1993; her youngest son
73 earned his Doctorate in Business Administration from
74 Kennesaw State University and is now an Assistant Professor
75 at Texas A&M University - Kingsville; she has several
76 grandchildren and great-grandchildren and often says she
77 "reaps the fruits of her labors" through her growing family
78 and those others whom she inspired; and
79WHEREAS, because of her arrest, Ms. Colvin lost her
80 civil rights and liberties, including the right to vote; in
81 2021, she petitioned the juvenile court in Montgomery to
82 expunge her record; 66 years after her arrest, her record
83 was expunged by Judge Calvin Williams who lauded her actions
84 as courageous; now therefore,
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85BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF ALABAMA, BOTH
86 HOUSES THEREOF CONCURRING, That the death of Claudette
87 Colvin is recorded with deep sadness, and even as we mourn
88 her death, we also celebrate her life; this resolution is
89 offered in highest tribute, along with heartfelt sympathy to
90 her family, whose grief is shared by many.
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97________________________________________________
98President and Presiding Officer of the Senate
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102________________________________________________
103Speaker of the House of Representatives
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106 SJR10
107 Senate 14-Jan-26
108 I hereby certify that the within Act originated in and
109 passed the Senate.
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111Patrick Harris,
112Secretary.
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117 House of Representatives
118 Passed: 22-Jan-26
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123 By: Senator Figures
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