Freedom Riders

‘When Buses Were A-Comin’: Remembering The Freedom Riders 60 Years On

A group of young civil rights activists began their journey to the South to challenge segregation on interstate buses in May 1961. The riders were taunted and beaten by white mobs – and jailed. Participants of the movement share what their fight means now.

Civil Rights Foot Soldiers Optimistic About Black Lives Matter Movement

The civil unrest in America today looks a lot like protests held in the 60s, when Black Americans fought for equal rights. Foot Soldiers of that time say it's the same fight but they're hopeful change will come.

Florida Gun Violence Survivors Join Alabama Activists In Gun Control Panel

When a gunman opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Florida earlier this year, killing 17 students and faculty, surviving students led a charge for gun control and launched a political movement to demand action from lawmakers.

Living History: A Freedom Rider Shares His Story

The “Freedom Riders” were civil rights activists, black and white, who challenged segregation by riding buses across the South. In 1961 near Anniston, a mob slashed one of those buses’ tires, set it on fire, and beat some of the passengers. Freedom Rider Hank Thomas was one of them.

She Brought Water to the Freedom Riders: “I Couldn’t Let It Pass”

There’s a new national monument to the “Freedom Riders, the civil rights activists – black and white – who challenged segregation by riding buses across the South. In 1961, a mob set one of those buses on fire and beat some of the riders. But there’s a lesser-known wrinkle to the story: a little white girl, whose family feared the Ku Klux Klan, brought water to the injured passengers.