Day 2: Freedom Riders

Histories are rarely neat, tidy, progressive stories. They are messy and complicated. Take the larger history of the 1950s-1960s Civil Rights Movement for example. As a historian, I often hear interpretations of the movement as a progressive and triumphant narrative of moving from segregation to integration as a result of the efforts of activists. That the nonviolent protests they organized directly and immediately resulted in integration and legislation that ultimately gave black Americans full equality. While some of this is accurate, there were many setbacks rather than a linear progression forward and people committed murder in the name of resisting integration. The fight for human rights and equality for black Americans is a continuous struggle with resistance from white Americans that continues to this day. Furthermore, those protests were hard fought with lasting repercussions for the activists, their families, and their communities.

Today we heard Freedom Rider (and Vietnam veteran) Mr. Charles Person speak on his experiences in 1961 riding a bus to Alabama. His story is illustrative of how instead of an easy and triumphant story, the integration of the bus systems in southern states was hard won. Mr. Person reminded us that the Freedom Riders were not participating in acts of civil disobedience, but rather were simply following the law.

Some of the details of his experiences remind us of the personal sacrifices so many activists made during this era:
-Black doctors in Alabama where the Freedom Riders got off the bus refused to treat the Riders’ injuries for fear of losing their medical licenses.
-The Freedom Riders experienced lifelong injuries and also death.
-Deacons from a local church armed themselves in order to protect the Freedom Riders while they slept overnight.
-Locals called in bomb threats to the airport to keep the Freedom Riders from being able to fly home.

Sarah P. Myers

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