Freedom Rides marks 50th anniversary WASHINGTON (AP) - This week
marks the start of the 50th anniversary of the civil rights
Freedom Riders traveled by bus to confront segregation in the
South. Two buses carrying 13 Freedom Riders embarked from
Washington 50 years ago Wednesday in 1961. They traveled south
through Richmond, Va., Greensboro, N.C., and eventually to Rock
Hill, S.C., where they met strong resistance. Georgia Rep. John
Lewis was among the Freedom Riders attacked at Rock Hill for
attempting to enter a whites-only waiting room at the bus
terminal. The riders continued through Georgia and Alabama,
facing firebombs and the Ku Klux Klan. They completed their
journey to New Orleans by plane before returning to Mississippi.
This month, students will retrace the Freedom Rides. Also, PBS
will premiere a new documentary on the history.
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