Freedom Riders

Because we celebrate the life and legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. with a day of service, it's fitting to also recognize other important components of his work throughout the year. 


Between May 4 and May 17, 1961, a group of 13 civil rights activists rode two buses from Washington, D.C. to various parts of the Southeast. They weren't looking for a road trip-- they were challenging Jim Crow laws and the comfort of racists by participating in integrated interstate bus travel, at the time recently allowed by a new law.

With an angry mob outside, Rev. Abernathy and Dr. King
strategize inside Abernathy's First Baptist Church of Montgomery.
Photo credit: LIFE/Getty Images

The Freedom Riders might not be so famous today if it weren't for the violence that met them at nearly every turn. Once the public caught wind of the project, citizens less than supportive of racial equality pelted rocks and fists at the activists, one time even fire bombing a bus. At one point Attorney General Robert Kennedy called on the National Guard to protect the activists on their journey.

Historical marker in Chapel Hill, N.C.

Characteristic of an MLK movement, the activists persevered to prove to the nation that integration can work, and that peace among different people may be as simple as offering the bus seat next to you.


It's easy to lose sight of the outside world when your own world is cluttered with obligations, worries, and to-do lists. Days like today, when we celebrate a triumphant piece of history, are an opportunity to step back and appreciate the people and events who changed the world without knowing it.


For more information on the Freedom Riders:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/freedomriders/rides
http://www.life.com/gallery/23102/image/50551214#index/0
Watch Oprah today at 4 p.m. EST