Thread by @Paperclip_In

In the spring of 1941, amidst WWII, one Indian woman boarded a "whites-only" section on a train in the American South. A ticket collector ordered her to move, but what followed was nothing short of remarkable.

Thread.

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As the train sped across the Louisiana border, the ticket collector demanded her to move. Yet this woman, undeterred by the authoritative demand, remained seated. Calmly, she looked up and asked a question that revealed her resolve: “Why?”

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He replied, “That’s the rule, and you better obey it.” But she didn’t budge. He left, fuming, but soon returned—this time subdued. It seemed he had realized she was not African American. With a softened tone, he asked, “Where are you from?”

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At this moment, she could have revealed her distinguished status. After all, this was Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay—a prominent figure in India’s independence movement, a guest of President Roosevelt at the White House, and a respected advocate for women’s rights.

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But instead, she answered simply: “It makes no difference. I am a colored woman.”

In that statement, Kamaladevi did something radical.

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She rejected the comfort of her privilege, embracing instead the common struggle she shared with African Americans. So, why is this woman seated unflinchingly in a segregated train car in 1941, deep in the southern USA?

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Kamaladevi was born in Mangalore in 1903, to a wealthy family. Her life, however, would be far from conventional. When her father died, most of the inheritance went to her step-brother—a stark lesson in inequality she never forgot.

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Widowed at 15, she fought to pursue her education, even as society pushed against her. Later, she defied social norms, becoming an actress, remarrying outside her region and language, eventually divorcing, and raising her son alone.

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By 1941, Kamaladevi was more than just a leader; she was a symbol of resistance against oppression, inequality, and gender discrimination. Her journey to the U.S. wasn’t only about seeking support for India’s freedom. It was something more.

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For Kamaladevi, the struggles against racial, colonial, and gender injustices were bound together in a shared cause. During her 18 months in America, Kamaladevi traveled across the country, insisting on staying with African American families in the segregated South.

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This choice, extraordinary and dangerous for the time, caught the attention of the press on both sides of the Atlantic. African-American newspapers dubbed her “India’s foremost woman leader” and “Gandhi’s Aide,” honoring her efforts to connect with Black communities.

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New York pressed announced her farewell talk before she left for the American South, while the Bombay Chronicle called her stay with Black families “daring” due to the harsh racial prejudices. Kamaladevi was undeterred.

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She believed in aligning the fight for Indian independence with the civil rights struggles of Black Americans. She saw herself not just as an Indian fighting colonial rule but as part of a global struggle against racial discrimination.

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By the end of her visit, her actions had planted seeds of solidarity that grew. In 1942, a survey in the U.S. showed that 87.8% of Black Americans supported India’s quest for independence.

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Kamaladevi’s presence and her daring support for the struggles of Black Americans had a profound impact on African-American attitudes toward India’s fight for freedom. Her time in the U.S. was pivotal in connecting the struggles of two worlds.

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Kamaladevi’s refusal to leave her seat in the train wasn’t just about defying segregation; it was a profound act of solidarity that bridged two worlds. Her legacy reminds us that the bonds of resistance are often stronger than the borders that divide us.

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By refusing to leave her seat on a segregated train in Louisiana, she risked alienating the White Americans who supported India’s independence but turned a blind eye to injustices at home.

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She chose courage over comfort—a reminder for all of us who often overlook injustice in our own backyard.

Today, we remember her on her death anniversary.

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Source and references

Brijbhushan, J. (2003). Kamaladevi Chattopadhyaya: Portrait of a Rebel. Abhinav Publications.

Slate, N. (2009). ‘I am a colored woman’: Kamaladevi Chattopadhyaya in the United States, 1939–1941. Contemporary South Asia, 17(1), 7–19.

Wikimedia Commons @Wikimediadoi.org/10.1080/095849…