What is freedom rider?

The Freedom Riders were civil rights activists who rode interstate buses into the segregated southern United States in 1961 and 1962 to challenge the Jim Crow laws that prohibited African Americans from sitting in the front of the bus. The Freedom Riders were met with violence from white mobs and local law enforcement, but their actions drew national attention to the cause of civil rights and helped to desegregate public transportation in the South.

The Freedom Rides were organized by the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), a civil rights organization founded in 1942. The first Freedom Ride left Washington, D.C., on May 4, 1961, and was scheduled to arrive in New Orleans, Louisiana, on May 17. The Freedom Riders were attacked by white mobs in several cities along the way, including Rock Hill, South Carolina, and Anniston, Alabama. In Birmingham, Alabama, the Freedom Riders were arrested and jailed.

The violence against the Freedom Riders drew national attention to the cause of civil rights. President John F. Kennedy called for an end to the violence and sent federal marshals to protect the Freedom Riders. The Freedom Rides continued, and on May 20, 1961, the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) issued an order prohibiting segregation on interstate buses and in bus terminals.

The Freedom Rides were a success in that they helped to desegregate public transportation in the South. They also drew national attention to the cause of civil rights and helped to galvanize the civil rights movement.