WASHINGTON (AP) — Claudette Colvin, whose 1955 arrest for refusing to give up her seat on a segregated Montgomery bus helped spark the modern civil rights movement, has died. She was 86. Her death was announced Tuesday by the Claudette Colvin Legacy Foundation. Ashley D. Roseboro of the organization confirmed she died in Texas.

Colvin was arrested months before Rosa Parks gained international fame for her act of defiance on a separate Montgomery bus. A bus driver complained to police on March 2, 1955, that two Black girls were seated near white girls in violation of segregation laws. While one of the Black girls complied and moved to the rear, Colvin, only 15 at the time, stood her ground and was subsequently arrested.

Her courageous act led to her becoming a named plaintiff in the historic lawsuit that ultimately outlawed racial segregation on Montgomery’s buses, marking a significant moment in the struggle for civil rights.}