A half century ago, in Anniston, Alabama, a troupe of bus riders nearly died

[Stinky The Clown]

Their bus was set afire by an angry mob who objected to their presence and purpose. Once alight, the mob held the bus' door shut. One of the bus riders, a young man of 19, thought the kindest thing he could do for himself in this moment of peril was breathe deeply the smoke and go to sleep before he was burned alive. As he was about to do this, a massive explosion occurred when the fuel tank caught fire. Rather than make the situation worse, the explosion drove back the mob. The bus riders, intent on helping others gain freedom, took the chance to regain their own. Out of the crowd, a portent of hope for the future, came a young white woman who offered the coughing survivors water . . . . .

This was but one stop on that fateful ride. It happened on May 14, 1961.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_riders

[niyad]

1. thank you

don't forget that "freedom riders" will be on american experience on pbs starting 16 may at 9est.

[NYC_SKP]

2. It was on Mothers' Day of that year, in Anniston.

There's an exhibition of the photographs running through May 22nd, read below:

Courage Under Fire: The 1961 Burning of the Freedom Riders Bus by Joseph Postiglione

On Mothers Day, May 14, 1961, angry mobs of segregationists staged attacks on buses on which interracial groups of passengers deliberately rode to test southern states' compliance with federal interstate transportation laws.

The Freedom Riders were on a journey sponsored by the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), a human rights organization dedicated to peaceful, nonviolent protests against injustice. As they rode from Washington, D.C., into the Deep South states of South Carolina and Georgia, the Freedom Riders encountered plenty of resistance. However, extreme violence in Alabama catapulted the story of the Freedom Rides into the national conciousness. Riders on the buses were badly beaten in Anniston and Birmingham. Images of the smoldering bus on a Calhoun County roadside quickly made news wires.

Not every rider on the Greyhound and Trailways buses was a participant in CORE's nonviolent challenge to segregation. Some riders were simply on a routine trip from Atlanta to Birmingham, and two riders were plainclothes state investigators placed on the bus by Alabama Governor John Patterson. However, the photos in the exhibition ensured that all of the riders' names made history.

The photographs were taken by Anniston Star reporter Joseph Postiglione. The photos were donated by the Anniston law firm of Merrill, Merrill, Mathews & Allen, LLC. The exhibition will be on view to the public March 15 - May 22, 2011.

http://www.bcri.org/exhibitions/special_exhibitions/CourageUnderFire.html

[w8liftinglady]

3. I didn't realize that Filner was a Freedom Rider

Thanks for sharing!

[Stinky The Clown]

4. Quite something, huh?

[Stinky The Clown]

5. Morning kick for historical significance and so we don't forget.