Freedom Riders Challenge a Nation

Building on the principles of nonviolent civil resistance already used for sit-ins and bus boycotts across the nation, the Freedom Rides sought to force southern states to recognize the 1946 and 1960 Supreme Court rulings banning segregated interstate travel. James Farmer, co-founder and director of the Congress for Racial Equality, planned a nonviolent test of the law through interracial groups riding Greyhound and Trailways buses from Washington, D.C., to New Orleans. On May 4, 1961, the Fredericksburg bus depot became the Freedom Riders' first stop. They passed through without incident, but in other states the activists met horrifying brutality and were violently attacked, beaten, and arrested. More than 400 volunteers risked their lives to challenge the racial status quo during the seven-month campaign.

Fredericksburg, Virginia · United States