Hundreds of civil rights activists calling themselves Freedom Riders bravely held the nation accountable to its rules against segregation in 1961. Here are the facts you need to know.
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April 9, 2021
Mug shots of some of the Freedom Riders arrested in Jackson, Mississippi, are on display at the Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee.
The Freedom Riders were a brave group of more than 400 civil rights activists, many of whom were just teenagers, who put their lives on the line to dismantle segregated busing in 1961. By doing so, they secured what historian Ray Arsenault called the civil rights movement’s “first unambiguous victory” [PDF]. To mark the 60th anniversary of their nonviolent campaign, here are some essential facts about the Freedom Riders and their mission.
1. The Freedom Riders tested states’ compliance with two Supreme Court rulings.