This week teaches us that Black history isn’t only written in headlines—it’s written in posture, patience, and persistence. Quiet revolutions last because they are built by people who refuse to move, even when the world tells them to.
Early February 1955 —
Claudette Colvin
Takes a Stand
Weeks before Rosa Parks, 15-year-old Claudette Colvin refused to give up her bus seat in Montgomery. Her courage was deliberate and principled—yet largely erased for years. Her action helped lay the legal groundwork for the bus boycott.
February 1956 —
Mass Meetings
Power the Movement
Throughout this week in 1956, Black churches across Montgomery held nightly mass meetings during the bus boycott. These gatherings—filled with prayer, strategy, and song—were the engine of the movement, sustaining people through months of sacrifice.
Ongoing Each February —
Black Institutions
Organize in Silence
Behind the scenes this week, Black educators, labor organizers, journalists, and church leaders were planning voter drives, mutual aid, and legal challenges—work rarely photographed but essential to progress.
