The Freedom Riders Jim Zwerg - 849 Words

On May 2011 40 students from different parts of the United States joined the original freedom riders : Jim Zwerg, Who was considered a traitor to his race for participating in the non-violence movements, Ernest â€Å"Rip† Patton, he joined the movement two days after the First Baptist Church of Montgomery was attacked by the mobs on May 21, Helen and Bob Singleton and Joan Mulholland that at the time that she joined the freedom rides in June of 1961 was working at the office of a California Senator; in Re-living the 1961 rides from Washington, DC to New Orleans, LA . There is a big difference between the freedom rides of 56 years ago that began with members of the congress of racial Equality (CORE) that sought to fight racism and segregation in the south with non-violence demonstrations and the ones that these students did in 2011, the original ride filled with excitement at first and then with fear when the riders were attacked by the KKK and angry mobs at bus stations and th e 2011 freedom rides filled with 40 students from different walks of life traveling with 5 heroes of the civil rights movement, learning about history and reliving it first hand during this 10 day trip. Some of the stories documented by these young freedom riders show us that there are still remnants of that same hate and discrimination of the 1960 decade; it happened to Doaa Dorgham, ironically, on the first day that she was embarking on the journey of the freedom riders, which is precisely toShow MoreRelatedThe Argument Against School Segregation1226 Words   |  5 Pagesin the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments to the Constitution? Freedom Songs served as the collective voice of the movement. The songs created a mobilizing soundtrack to the fight for equal rights and were sung during many of the major events of the time. The beauty and strength of these songs was in the energy they provided for massive groups of revolutionists as they sat in church meetings or marched in the streets for freedom and desegregation. Many had their roots grounded in hymnals, spiritualsRead MoreFreedom Riders: Rebels with a Cause1400 Words   |  6 PagesFreedom Riders: Rebels with a Cause â€Å"If not us, then who? If not now, then when? Will there be a better day for it tomorrow or next year? Will it be less dangerous then? Will someone else’s children have to risk their lives instead of us risking ours?† -- John Lewis May 16, 1961, to other Nashville students considering joining the Freedom Rides John Lewis, a young black man who was born in the South, participated in the Freedom Rides. His statement rang true when Nashville students were facedRead MoreFreedom Riders : The United States2497 Words   |  10 PagesFreedom Riders were activists who rode interstate transports into segregated southern states. The Freedom riders started their rides in 1961. They additionally rode into the southern states to backing up the decisions of the United States Supreme Court in many court cases ruling segregation unconstitutional. The Southern states disregarded the decisions and the federal government did nothing to help in the implementation of the laws. The first Freedom Ride left Washington, D.C., on May 4, 1961, andRead MoreRacial Segregation And African Americans2509 Words   |  11 Pageswere treated differently, and the African Americans did not enjoy the same freedoms as the whites. The African Americans never had a chance to speak their mind, voice their opinions, or enjoy the s ame luxuries that the white people attained. Through various actions/efforts like the lunch counter sit-ins, freedom rides, and bus boycotts, the black people confronted segregation face on and worked to achieve equality and freedom. Segregation played a major role throughout the lives of the African AmericansRead MoreDbq, Civil Rights Essay2472 Words   |  10 Pages__________________________________________________________________________________. __________________________________________________________________________________. DOCUMENT 4: March on Washington, August 28, 1963 The March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom was primarily organized by Martin Luther King, Jr (MLK) representing the SCLC, John Lewis from SNCC and James Farmer of CORE, and was attended by over 250,000 people from across the country. Marchers and organizers demonstrated support for the passage