FREEDOM RIDERS
In 1961, Congress of Racial Equality tried a new tactic to desegregate public transportation throughout the south. These acts became known as the “Freedom Rides.” The first Freedom Ride was Mon May 4, 1961. Seven blacks and six whites boarded two public buses headed from Washington, D.C. to the Deep South in hopes to defy Jim Crow laws and call for change. The riders were treated with hatred and violence, and police often did not intervene. One bus was even burned in Alabama. The riders continued despite the violence. They generated publicity and inspired many more Freedom Rides. Protests continued to spread to train stations and airports across the South, and finally the Interstate Commerce Commission issued rules prohibiting segregated transportation facilities.
Christine Edwards