“Freedom Riders” 50th Anniversary
Atlanta, GA – 50 years ago, hundreds of civil rights supporters demanded implementation of federal barring segregation. This year, the supporters, dubbed “Freedom Riders” are being celebrated.
Charles Person was one of them. The African-American from Atlanta remembers his motive for getting on a bus in 1961.
“My greatest expectation was that we could demonstrate to the country and possibly to the world when laws are passed, in the benefit of persons of color, that, in many cases, certain states refused to honor that right,” said Person.
Person's bus ride began in Washington D.C. Like many Freedom Riders, Person's travel ended in the South where federal laws were being ignored.
Person called the rides successful because of the civil rights movement's non-violent approach towards promoting equality. In all more than 400 Freedom Riders participated in the effort.
You can watch PBS Documentary on the Freedom Rides tonight at 8 on PBA 30.
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