As reported by James Farmer, Alabama law officials “stood idly by while mobs overruled the law of the land and desecrated the face of our Nation before the world.” When an Alabama State Police escort was cancelled by the Governor, and bus drivers refused to continue the journey, the test ride ended. ![]() Riders encountered intense violence and some were hospitalized. In Anniston, Alabama, the Greyhound bus was firebombed while in nearby Birmingham, the Trailways bus was ambushed by an angry mob. On the fifth day, however, as black riders attempted to use a “whites only” restroom at the bus station in Rock Hill, South Carolina, the troubles began. The trip was destined for New Orleans, with stops in Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, and Mississippi.įor the first five days, the trip went smoothly. Among the riders were James Farmer, CORE’s executive director, and James Peck, a white journalist who acted as CORE’s chief publicist. On May 4, 1961, six of them boarded a bus at the Greyhound station at 1100 New York Avenue NW, while another six boarded a bus at the nearby Trailways station. They were to dress well, behave as teachers and role models, and mingle with other passengers. The volunteers, committed to non-violence, were trained to handle racial situations that could arise during the trip through the Deep South. Virginia that prohibited segregation in bus terminals and restaurants serving interstate passengers.įor its test ride in 1961, CORE staff chose volunteers representing different races, ages, genders, regions, and backgrounds. The trip, organized by the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), was planned to test individual states’ compliance with the 1960 U.S. In May 1961, at the former Greyhound Bus Station on New York Avenue NW, a group of activist volunteers boarded a bus to begin what would become a tumultuous and violence-filled “Freedom Ride 1961.” Text
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