The narrative of Rosa Parks as a simple, tired seamstress is challenged by her history as a trained activist at the Highlander Folk School. Documents reveal that 15-year-old Claudette Colvin was the original individual to refuse her seat, but civil rights strategists deemed her "unfit" for the lead role in the legal challenge. Parks was selected as a more sympathetic face for the Montgomery Bus Boycott, supported by New Deal progressives Clifford and Virginia Durr.