Rosa Parks (left) is often cited as the spark that ignited civil rights change in Montgomery, but women like Claudette Colvin (right) paved the way for Park's historical protest.

Rosa Parks (left) is often cited as the spark that ignited civil rights change in Montgomery, but women like Claudette Colvin (right) paved the way for Park's historical protest.

When you hear the name Rosa Parks, you probably flash back to your black history month education.

 

She's often credited as the woman who refused to move to the back of the bus in Montgomery, Alabama in 1955, leading to a series of boycotts.

But before Rosa Parks, there was Claudette Colvin.  

 

 GPB's Leah Fleming interviews Brooklyn University professor Jeanne Theoharis

 

When she was 15, she refused give up her bus seat to a white person — nine months before Parks did the very same thing.

 

GPB's Leah Fleming speaks with Brooklyn University professor Jeanne Theoharis, author of the book "The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks."

They discuss the often overlooked aspects of Park's life as well women like Claudette Colvin, who made Park's act of defiance possible.

Brooklyn University professor Jeanne Theoharis, author of the book

Brooklyn University professor Jeanne Theoharis, author of the book "The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks."

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