Aurelia Browder

Aurelia Browder
Born	January 29, 1919 Montgomery, Alabama, United States
Died	February 4, 1971 Montgomery, Alabama, United States
Nationality	American
Known for	Civil Rights Activism

Aurelia Shines Browder Coleman (January 29, 1919 – February 4, 1971) was an African American civil rights activist in Montgomery, Alabama. She is best known as the lead plaintiff in the landmark legal case Browder v. Gayle, which successfully challenged the constitutionality of bus segregation in Montgomery and led to the desegregation of public transportation in the city.

Early Life

Aurelia Browder was born on January 29, 1919, in Montgomery, Alabama. She grew up in a segregated society where racial discrimination was institutionalized. Despite these challenges, Browder pursued education and became a significant figure in the civil rights movement.

Civil Rights Activism

Browder was actively involved in the civil rights movement in Montgomery. She was a member of the Montgomery Improvement Association, which was instrumental in organizing the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

Browder v. Gayle

In 1955, Aurelia Browder was arrested for refusing to give up her seat to a white person on a segregated bus in Montgomery. Her arrest, along with those of Claudette Colvin, Mary Louise Smith, and Susie McDonald, led to the filing of the federal lawsuit Browder v. Gayle.

The case was filed by civil rights attorneys Fred Gray and Charles Langford, with support from the NAACP and other civil rights organizations. On June 5, 1956, the U.S. District Court ruled in favor of Browder and the other plaintiffs, declaring that bus segregation was unconstitutional under the Fourteenth Amendment. The decision was upheld by the United States Supreme Court on November 13, 1956, effectively ending legal segregation on public buses in Montgomery.

Legacy

Aurelia Browder's role in the civil rights movement, particularly her involvement in Browder v. Gayle, was pivotal in the fight against racial segregation in the United States. Her courage and determination helped pave the way for further civil rights advancements.

Browder continued to be active in her community until her death on February 4, 1971, in Montgomery, Alabama. Her contributions to the civil rights movement are remembered as a testament to the power of individual action in the struggle for equality.

See Also

• Montgomery Bus Boycott
• Rosa Parks
• Civil Rights Movement

References

• Garrow, David J. Bearing the Cross: Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. HarperCollins, 1986.
• Gray, Fred D. Bus Ride to Justice: Changing the System by the System. NewSouth Books, 2013.

External Links

• Montgomery Advertiser article on Aurelia Browder