Community Hero Ka-Santa Sanders fights to honor Claudette Colvin, rebuild neighborhood

On the outskirts of downtown Montgomery, about two miles from the Rosa Parks Library and Museum, there’s a small, boarded-up house at the entrance to one of Montgomery’s oldest neighborhoods. That’s where 15-year-old Claudette Colvin was living when she refused to surrender her seat on a city bus to a white man, about nine months before Parks.

Her former house in the King Hill community sat empty and deteriorating for years. The neighborhood that supported Colvin in the early days of the modern Civil Rights movement has dwindled to just a few dozen residents with an average age of about 65, many living in houses that are nearly a century old.

It didn’t seem right to Ka-Santa Sanders – not the fate of Colvin’s legacy nor the condition of the King Hill community, where Sanders’ mother still lives. So, Sanders, the Montgomery Advertiser’s November Community Hero, got to work. “Why would I sit here and let something deteriorate and go down when I know that there are ways that we can make it better,” she said. “I see a vision here, and hopefully that vision can come alive.”

For the past decade, the 41-year-old mother of two young boys has been an energizing force for change in King Hill. She’s helped restore neighborhood pride by organizing community clean-up events, catalyzing a push to renovate and rename a community center in honor of late Councilman Tracy Larkin, forming partnerships with local and national groups to set wider revitalization plans into motion and starting to renovate houses on her own.

One of those places is Colvin’s childhood home, which she has plans to turn into a community focal point, with the help of others in the neighborhood.

Meanwhile, she worked with west Montgomery nonprofit leader Kevin King of The King’s Canvas to recruit artists and create a mural at the entrance to the neighborhood as a tribute to Colvin and a reminder of her legacy. The mural features pictures of Colvin at two different ages and a quote: “You are never too young or too old to make a difference.”

“What we were doing on the west side, I consider her to be the young lady who was doing that on the north side,” King said.

When the city was looking for a meaningful way to honor Colvin earlier this year, they turned first to Sanders. That eventually led to a push to expunge Colvin’s record. The indefinite probation Colvin was given at 15 is still on the books here, but that could be about to change thanks in part to Sanders’ work to bring attention to Colvin locally.

Sanders’ crusade to better honor Colvin is one that some neighbors also believe could help rejuvenate their community.

“What (Colvin) did, it was a movement,” said King Hill resident Arthur Sanders, 59. “We feel like with her movement helping our movement, it’s going to work.”

‘She just wants to do the work’

Arthur Sanders isn’t related to Ka-Santa, but like many in the community they share a bond. He’s worked alongside her to push for change while offering the perspective of someone who has spent his whole life in King Hill, long enough to remember playing in the yard with Colvin’s children.

His neighbors have formed the backbone of the city – a nurse who’s spent 30 years at Jackson Hospital, a veteran who served 44 years at Maxwell Air Force Base, a longtime state worker who was one of the first Black graduates of Robert E. Lee High School. When he talks about the history of King Hill, he talks about Colvin, but he also talks about police officers and youth sports coaches.

Some of his memories aren’t as pleasant, from the demolition of an affordable housing community decades ago that stunted the area’s growth to a wave of violence and deaths among teenagers. These days, he just doesn’t see many kids at all. Ka-Santa Sanders helped get King Hill Community Center renovated, but he worries there won’t be any kids to use it unless something changes.

In a place where everyone knows everyone, they all tell people to call Ka-Santa Sanders if they want to make those changes happen.

They were telling City Councilor Marche Johnson that even before she was elected to represent the district that includes King Hill. “Ka-Santa does so much but she’s never looking for a spotlight. She just wants to do the work and (help) her neighborhood,” Johnson said.

That work started after Sanders’ mother moved to King Hill in 2001 and accelerated through the 2010s when she started working alongside Johnson’s predecessor, Larkin, who lived on the same street. Larkin became a mentor and helped her understand and negotiate government. She knew people needed better housing, better sewer infrastructure and more access to opportunities.

Yet in her early days of working to help the community, Sanders admits she didn’t know a lot about Colvin or her story, or how relevant it could be to King Hill’s future. That would change, and Sanders would soon draw on Colvin’s lesser-known story of defiance against injustice as both a rallying cry and as a personal inspiration.

Building change from the streets to the courthouse

King was leading his own effort to use art to spark creativity and growth in another part of the city the first time he heard Sanders tell Colvin’s story. It stuck with him – how a 15-year-old who was not a trained activist felt the injustice of the moment, how she felt Sojourner Truth and Harriet Tubman holding her to her seat.

In 2019, King and Sanders reconnected after both were named Community Revitalization Fellows, a program through the Center for Community Progress that helps community leaders with their local revitalization efforts. That gave both of them access to education and training on code enforcement and different aspects of government, but it also led to a partnership between them.

When Sanders wanted to create a mural to honor Colvin and beautify the area, King connected her to a team of artists. “Art has the ability to make an area vibrant, and through making an area vibrant it instills a sense of hope in the people who are from the community. It also brings in (people) from outside the community,” King said. “… Oftentimes, it’s a long-term process. But it’s a start here.”

Now, King is helping plan an art installation at Colvin’s former home. They’ve started stabilizing the structure and eventually plan to turn it into a community museum. Volunteers were planning to gather earlier this year and create a community garden next to the house, but Sanders’ mentor, Larkin, died unexpectedly while still in office and the event had to be postponed.

Sanders said Larkin’s death was a blow but she and others are determined to keep the work going. “When you have a vision, you’re going to see your way through it despite what comes,” Sanders said.

The city renamed her former street Claudette Colvin Drive in 2017 and has celebrated Claudette Colvin Day on March 2 each year since then. This year they wanted to mark the day in a more meaningful way. Phillip Ensler, who at the time was senior policy advisor for Mayor Steven Reed, contacted Sanders for suggestions. Dexter Avenue King Memorial Baptist Church tour guide Wanda Battle soon got involved in the discussion, as did Colvin’s sister, Gloria Laster.

It all culminated in October, when 82-year-old Colvin returned to Montgomery and filed a motion in juvenile court to clear her record. Ensler left the Reed’s office earlier this year and is serving as Colvin’s attorney in the expungement push.

“It could happen any day, and I’m hopeful it will,” Ensler said. “… What Ka-Santa’s doing to share her story and her legacy, and now the expungement, hopefully gives the community a sense that justice ultimately does prevail.

“... It’s not just about looking back. It really is a thing for young people and the community today, giving them hope for the future.”

Flowers for Claudette Colvin

Sanders admits that things haven’t been easy.

She had worked with Larkin to help secure funding to redevelop more properties in the neighborhood, but that was put on hold after his death. The pandemic derailed other redevelopment plans, delayed some of the work on Colvin’s house and forced her to adapt.

But she hasn’t stopped. She acquired a house across the street from Colvin’s and has been slowly renovating it while making plans for other properties. Now, more people are getting involved.

“We’re starting a women’s construction group where we’re going to get some women out, we’re going to learn some trades, and we’re actually going to do some things in this neighborhood,” Sanders said.

Meanwhile, she keeps pushing for more recognition for Colvin. Sanders and Reed are among those calling for Colvin to receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

As for Sanders, her work continues mostly out of sight. At the unveiling of the mural, King had to call her forward from the crowd. When Colvin arrived at juvenile court to file a motion for expungement, Ensler had to call her forward from the crowd.

Sanders eventually emerged and handed a bouquet to Colvin.

“I’ve always wanted to just give her some flowers,” Sanders said.

“I said thank you. And she said the same.”

Community Heroes Montgomery

The 12-month Community Heroes Montgomery, sponsored by Beasley Allen Law Firm, will profile one person every month this year.

Every monthly winner will receive a travel voucher from the Montgomery Regional Airport and American Airlines, a staycation from Wind Creek, dinner at Itta Bena restaurant and a certificate of appreciation from Montgomery's mayor.

At the end of the 12 months, the Heroes will be recognized at a banquet, and a "Hero of 2021" will be honored.

The 12 categories the Montgomery Advertiser will focus on: educator, health, business leader, military, youth, law enforcement, fire/EMT, nonprofit/community service, religious leader, senior volunteer, entertainment (arts/music) and athletics (such as a coach).

January Community Hero: Dr. Richard Cyrus helps thousands of uninsured people get free medical care

February Community Hero: Historian Richard Bailey is committed to sharing Montgomery's history

March Community Hero: Rebecca L. Martin dedicates decades to Chisholm

April Community Hero: How Meta Ellis' activism, community building creates space for those in need

May Community Hero: Montgomery's Brock brothers inspire young minds, souls at Valiant Cross

June Community Hero: Living color: Blueski Blue's mission marches on, one helping hand at a time

July Community Hero: 'Walking in our purpose': Brooke Freeman leads nonprofit ministry serving hundreds of widows

August Community Hero: 'Like a good neighbor': Willie Durham gives voice to small business

September Community Hero: At 91, Daisy Fann is still fighting for her north Montgomery neighborhood

October Community Hero: Despite multiple retirements, Steve Searcy continues to serve domestic violence victims

Do you know a Community Hero?

To nominate someone for Community Heroes Montgomery, email communityheroes@gannett.com. Please specify which category you are nominating for and your contact information.