Embed Size (px)
DESCRIPTION
Freedom Riders is a traveling exhibition developed by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History in partnership with American Experience.
Citation preview
FREEDOM RIDERS
Site-Support Notebook
2
Freedom Riders Site-Support Notebook:
Contents
NOTE: This notebook is also available at
http://www.gilderlehrman.org/institute/public_traveling.html
(Click on ―Sites hosting the Freedom Riders exhibition click here‖)
NOTE: Sample exhibition setup instructions at the end of note book
Front pocket: Information from the National Endowment for the Humanities, the Gilder
Lehrman Institute of American History, and AMERICAN EXPERIENCE
Back pocket: a CD containing the authorized publicity image, sponsor logos, exhibition
poster, sample PR materials, a CD containing the Guide By Cell audio files, poster for
Guide By Cell easel, and a five minute DVD that gives an overview of the documentary
Freedom Riders
Section 1—General
* Questions about the exhibition 3
* Exhibition credits 4
* Publicity approval 5
* Security and insurance 5
* Telling legislators 6
* Exhibition itinerary 7
* Project Coordinator Contact List 9
* Americans with Disabilities Act 11
Section 2—Programming
* Exhibition support materials 12
* Overview of Exhibit 13
and Organization
* Overview of FREEDOM RIDERS 14
documentary and project
Section 3—Resources
* Traveling exhibition script 16
* Guide By Cell Transcript 33
* Books for adult readers 38
* Books for younger readers 41
* Related web sites 44
* Films 46
* Partnering with Public Television 48
Section 4—Publicity
* Authorized publicity image and 50
Guidelines for use of publicity image
* Calendar listing/media alert 51
* News Release 53
* Public service announcements 57
* Promotion suggestions 58
Section 5—Logistics
* Exhibit shipping and receiving 62
* Exhibition damage report form 63
* Institution final report form 64
* Sample setup instructions 66
3
QUESTIONS?
If you have any questions about….
* PROJECT THEMES
* PROGRAMMING RESOURCES
CONTACT:
Susan Saidenberg
Director of Public Programs and
Exhibitions
The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American
History
19 West 44th Street, Suite 500
New York, NY 10036
Phone: (646) 366-9666
Fax: (646) 366-9669
E-mail: [email protected]
* FREEDOM RIDER Film
* AMERICAN EXPERIENCE
CONTACT:
Lauren Prestileo
Project Manager
AMERICAN EXPERIENCE
WGBH BOSTON
One Guest Street
Boston, MA 02135
Phone: (617) 300-5907
E-mail: [email protected]
* PUBLICITY
CONTACT:
Chelsea Van der Gaag
Marketing and Communications Manager
The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American
History
19 West 44th Street, Suite 500
New York, NY 10036
Phone: (646) 366-9666
Fax: (646) 366-9669
E-mail: [email protected]
* EXHIBITION SHIPPING
* TOUR ITINERARY/SCHEDULE
* DAMGE/REPAIRS
CONTACT:
Joanna Byrne
Office Manager and Traveling Exhibitions
Coordinator
The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American
History
19 West 44th Street, Suite 500
New York, NY 10036
Phone: (646) 366-9666
Fax: (646) 366-9669
E-mail: [email protected]
* BROUCHURES
* FINAL REPORTS
CONTACT:
Elizabeth Huffer
Project Coordinator
The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American
History
19 West 44th Street, Suite 500
New York, NY 10036
Phone: (646) 366-9666
Fax: (646) 366-9669
E-mail: [email protected]
4
Freedom Riders
Exhibition Credits
Please use the following credit information on materials you produce for the exhibition.
Freedom Riders is a traveling exhibition developed by the Gilder Lehrman Institute
of American History in partnership with AMERICAN EXPERIENCE. Major funding
for the traveling exhibition provided by the National Endowment for the
Humanities. Exclusive corporate funding for AMERICAN EXPERIENCE is provided by
Liberty Mutual. Major funding provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.
Additional funding provided by Lynn Bay Dayton, Rodger & Dawn Nordblom, the
Corporation for Public Broadcasting and public television viewers.
Further Guidelines for Sponsor Acknowledgement
The credit above should appear on all printed and other visual materials related to the exhibition, including press releases, brochures, publications,
invitations, program flyers, advertisements, press kits, announcements, websites
and local posters. It should also appear on any signage at the entrance to the
exhibition. On all materials, it should appear in a type size that is readable and
appropriate to the overall design.
Please use the Gilder Lehrman Institute, AMERICAN EXPERIENCE, and NEH
logos on all materials whenever possible, in particular on smaller PR pieces on
which there is not space for the full credit.
In speaking to or sending press releases to newspaper reporters, radio and TV
interviewers and other media personnel, please stress that full sponsorship and
funding credit should be included in all articles and features. Some institutions
include a line set off at the beginning of a press release saying “Editor: Please do
not edit out sponsorship credits in paragraph __.”
At press events and in public programs: The sponsorship of the NEH, the
Gilder Lehrman Institute, and AMERICAN EXPERIENCE should be acknowledged
orally at the beginning and end of press conferences, public programs, and other
public events connected with the exhibition, and at the beginning and end of radio
or television interviews. Use the official exhibition credit as a guide for oral
announcements.
Local sponsor credits: Local sponsor credit must follow the exhibition credit line
or logos and be in a type size no larger than the exhibition credit, with the
exception of materials that are entirely supported by another funding source. In
those cases, it is still necessary for the above credit line and/or logos to appear,
but the additional sponsor‘s credit may appear first and in larger type.
5
Publicity Approval
Publicity for the exhibition is the responsibility of the exhibiting institution; however, the
Gilder Lehrman Institute will work with each institution to achieve the best coverage
possible. Please contact the Gilder Lehrman Institute if you have questions or need PR
materials.
NEH REQUIRES THAT INSTITUTIONS SUBMIT—AT LEAST THREE DAYS
BEFORE PRINTING OR POSTING—ALL DRAFT COPIES of press releases,
media advisories, web site articles or notices, backgrounders, program flyers, ads, and
exhibition invitations to the Gilder Lehrman Institute either by fax or e-mail.
Please send a draft copy to Chelsea Van der Gaag, Tel: (646) 366-9666, Fax: (646) 366-
9669, E-mail: [email protected]. We will review materials immediately.
Copies of all press coverage, including videotapes of television coverage and audiotapes
of radio reports, should be sent to the Gilder Lehrman Institute with the institution‘s final
report.
Security and Insurance
Exhibitions may be displayed in a gallery or other open areas in the institution, but
preferably not in a hallway. No exhibition is to be displayed outdoors or in a tent or other
temporary structure.
Supervision by a guard or institution staff member is required. It is preferable that
someone is in the room with the exhibition at all times—they may be performing other
duties as well as monitoring the exhibition. If that is not possible, we expect that a staff
member or guard will walk around and monitor the exhibit periodically during the times
it is open. We suggest doing this at least every fifteen minutes during times of peak
institution use and every half-hour during less busy times.
If an institution is determined to be at fault in damage or loss of any part of the
exhibition, then the institution will be responsible for paying the replacement or
restoration costs. If the institution is determined not to be at fault, the costs of damage or
loss will be taken care of without fees, through the exhibition grants budget and insurance
budget.
The value of the ―Freedom Riders‖ exhibit is $30,000. Some institutions add a rider to
their insurance policy for the exhibit period.
6
Telling Legislators
We would appreciate if you would inform your local, state and national legislators that
the institution and community are participants in a major National Endowment for the
Humanities-funded project. Invite them to the opening reception or to other programs
which you are sponsoring; invite them to speak or introduce speakers. Also urge your
patrons to contact their legislators about institution programs they value. A previous
exhibition host distributed a flyer that said:
―If you enjoyed the program this afternoon, please feel free to write to any or all
of the following to express your appreciation. Paper and envelopes are available
as you leave and there will be stamps for sale if you wish to write immediately.
Thank you in advance for supporting your institution and its programs.‖
A list of local, state and federal elected legislators and their addresses and fax numbers
should follow the request.
7
Freedom Riders
Exhibition Itinerary 2010-2011
Please note that the arrival date in column one indicates the day on which the exhibition
will be delivered to your site. Based on past experience it will take about two hours to set
up the exhibition, which requires no tools or special equipment. However, since we
cannot confirm the exact hour of arrival, we suggest that you plan your opening for the
following day. The close/breakdown date appears in column two. The exhibition will be
picked up one to two days after the close date with the logistical details to follow. To
accommodate building and staffing schedules, there will be no weekend pick-ups or
deliveries.
FREEDOM RIDERS EXHIBIT SCHEDULE 2010-2011 Set 1*
ARRIVE/SET UP CLOSE DATE/
BREAKDOWN INSTITUTION
1. Nov. 18, 2010 Dec. 13, 2010 Lehman College, Leonard Lief Library
Bronx, NY
2. Dec. 22, 2011 Jan. 31, 2011 New Orleans Public Library – African
American Resource Center
New Orleans, LA
3. Feb. 8, 2011 Mar. 7, 2011 Nancy Carson Library
North Augusta, SC
4. Mar. 14, 2011 Apr. 18, 2011 Live Oak Public Libraries – Southwest
Chatham Beach
Savannah, GA
5. Apr. 25, 2011 May 27, 2011 Fulton-Holland Educational Services Center
West Palm Beach, FL
6. Jun. 3, 2011 Jul. 1, 2011 Cameron Village Library
Raleigh, NC 7. Jul. 8, 2011 Aug. 12, 2011 Dole Institute of Politics at Uni. of Kansas
Lawrence, KS
8. Sept. 1, 2011 Sept. 29, 2011 Birmingham History Center
Birmingham, AL
9. October 5, 2011 November 2, 2011 Detroit Public Library
Detroit, MI
*Tour schedule still in formation.
8
FREEDOM RIDERS EXHIBIT SCHEDULE 2010-2011 Set 2*
ARRIVE/SET UP CLOSE DATE/
BREAKDOWN INSTITUTION
1. Dec. 20, 2010 Jan. 18, 2011 John Handley High School
Winchester, VA
2. Jan. 24, 2011 Feb. 21, 2011 University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee
Milwaukee, WI
3. Feb. 28, 2011 Mar. 28, 2011 San Diego Public Library
San Diego, CA
4. Apr. 4, 2011 May 2, 2011 Kansas City Public Library
Kansas City, MO 5. May 9, 2011 Jun. 6, 2011 Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum
Austin, TX
6. Jun. 13, 2011 Jul. 11, 2011 Salt Lake City Public Library
Salt Lake City, UT
7. Jul. 18, 2011 Aug. 15, 2011 San Francisco Public Library
San Francisco, CA 8. Aug. 22, 2011 Sept. 19, 2011 Arizona State University Libraries
Tempe, AZ 9. Sept. 26, 2011 Oct. 24, 2011 Museum of History & Industry
Seattle, WA 10. Oct. 31, 2011 Nov. 28, 2011 Blair Caldwell African American Research
Library – Denver Public Library
Denver, CO
*Tour schedule still in formation.
9
Freedom Riders
Project Coordinator Contact List
Set 1
November 18 – December 13, 2010
Lehman College
Leonard Lief Library
250 Bedford Park Blvd. West
Bronx, NY 10468-1589
Janet Butler Munch
Special Collections Librarian
(718) 960-8603
January 3 – 31, 2011
New Orleans Public Library – African
American Resource Center
219 Loyola Avenue
New Orleans, LA 70112
Lavon Williams
(504) 596-2597
February 7 – March 7, 2011
Nancy Carson Library
135 Edgefield Road
North Augusta, SC 29841
Barbara Walker
(803) 202-3587
March 14 – April 18, 2011
Live Oak Public Libraries – Southwest
Chatham Beach
2002 Bull Road
Savannah, GA 31401
John Tuggle
(912) 652-3604
April 25 – May 27, 2011
Fulton-Holland Educational Services
Center
3300 Forest Hill Blvd
West Palm Beach, FL 33406
Laurie Cotton
(561) 357-1160
June 3 – July 1, 2011
Cameron Village Library
1930 Clark Avenue
Raleigh, NC 27605
Robert Lambert
(919) 856-6711
July 8 – August 12, 2011
Dole Institute of Politics at University of
Kansas
2350 Petefish Drive
Lawrence, KS 66045
Morgan Davis
(785) 864-1405
September 1-29, 2011
Birmingham History Center
1731 First Ave N
Birmingham, AL 35203
Jerry Desmond
(205) 202-4146
October 5 – November 2, 2011
Detroit Public Library
5201 Woodward
Detroit, MI 48202
Conrad Welsing
(313) 481-1340
Set 2
December 20, 2010 – January 18, 2011
John Handley High School
425 Handley Boulevard
Winchester, VA 22604
10
Holly Sanders
(540) 662-3471
January 24 – February 21, 2011
University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee
2200 E. Kenwood Blvd, PO Box 143
Milwaukee, WI 53201
Jasmine Alinder, PhD
(414) 229-3675
February 28 – March 28, 2011
San Diego Public Library
820 E Street
San Diego, CA 92101
Marc Chery
(619) 236-5817
April 4 – May 2, 2011
Kansas City Public Library
14 West 10th
Kansas City, MO 64105
Henry Fortunato
(816) 701-3400
May 9 – June 6, 2011
Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and
Museum
2313 Red River Street
Austin, TX 78705
Michael MacDonald
(512) 721-0199
June 13 – July 11, 2011
Salt Lake City Public Library
210 East 400 South
Salt Lake City, UT 84111
Howard Brough
(801) 322-8164
July 18 – August 15, 2011
San Francisco Public Library
100 Larkin Street
San Francisco, CA 94201
Everett Erlandson
(415) 557-4596
August 22 – September 19, 2011
Arizona State University Libraries
Hayden Library
ASU Tempe Campus
300Orange Mall
Tempe Arizona 85287-1006
Karrie Porter Brace
(480) 965-4925
September 26 – October 24, 2011
Museum of History & Industry
2700 24th
Ave E.
Seattle, WA 98112-2099
Mark Gleason
(206) 324-1126
October 31 – November 28, 2011
Blair Caldwell African American
Research Library – Denver Public
Library
2401 Welton Street
Denver, CO 80205
Erin Lally
(720) 865-2411
11
The Americans with
Disabilities Act
The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) (PL 101-336), effective since July 1992,
guarantees that people with disabilities shall have equal access to employment, public
services and accommodations, transportation and telecommunication services. As public
service providers, institutions must make reasonable efforts to give disabled people the
same access to information, programs and resources enjoyed by those who are not
disabled.
Each institution on the ―Freedom Riders‖ tour will have varying capabilities for
providing equal access to disabled people. We urge you to do as much as you reasonably
can to make the exhibition accessible to the disabled population.
Local or regional agencies which are responsible for services for the disabled may be
helpful.
We offer the following suggestions to enhance the accessibility of ―Freedom Riders‖:
Allow space for wheelchairs when you are setting up the exhibition.
Prepare a large-print version of publicity materials and program handouts.
Offer signed tours of the exhibition at specified times.
Provide for signing at programs related to the exhibition.
Produce an audiotape of the exhibition text for people who cannot read it.
Make members of the instution staff available at certain times to walk through the
exhibit with people in wheelchairs, the visibly impaired, etc.
12
Freedom Riders
Exhibition Support Materials
NOTE: Brochures will be shipped four weeks before the institution‘s exhibition period,
unless otherwise requested by institutions.
Brochure
A full color illustrated brochure will provide visitors to the exhibition with a summary of
exhibition themes as well as a list of additional readings. Each institution exhibition site
may request up to 2,000 brochures.
Film
The exhibition will travel with a five minute film that gives an overview of the
FREEDOM RIDERS documentary. The clip cannot be posted to websites, but you can
link to the trailer of the documentary at:
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/freedomriders/watch
From acclaimed filmmaker Stanley Nelson, FREEDOM RIDERS features testimony
from a fascinating cast of characters: the Riders themselves, state and federal government
officials, and journalists who witnessed the rides firsthand. The two-hour film is based on
Raymond Arsenault‘s book Freedom Riders: 1961 and the Struggle for Racial Justice.
FREEDOM RIDERS premieres on PBS stations nationwide on May 16, 2011. The film
will stream online at www.pbs.org/freedomriders following the PBS premiere, and is
available for purchase at www.shopPBS.org.
CD
All institutions will receive a CD containing the authorized publicity image, exhibition
poster, sponsor logos, poster for Guide By Cell easel, and sample PR materials as well as
a CD that contains the Guide By Cell audio files.
Guide By Cell Easel
In order to make the Guide By Cell feature more prominent, we are asking that
institutions print out the Guide By Cell poster found on the exhibition support material
cd, place it in the 8.5 x 11 poster easel, and set up the easel on a table or cart at the
beginning of the exhibition.
13
Freedom Riders
Overview of Exhibit and Organization
Overview: The 1961 Freedom Rides
From May until November 1961, more than 400 black and white Americans risked their
lives—many endured savage beatings and imprisonment—for simply traveling together on
buses and trains as they journeyed through the Deep South. Theirs is the powerful,
harrowing and ultimately inspirational story of six months in 1961 that changed America
forever.
Despite two earlier Supreme Court decisions that mandated the desegregation of
interstate travel facilities, black Americans in 1961 continued to endure hostility and
racism while traveling through the South. The Freedom Riders set out to change that.
Coming from all strata of American society—black and white, young and old, male and
female, Northern and Southern—the Freedom Riders embarked on the Rides aware that
their actions could provoke a savage response but willing to put their lives on the line for
the cause of justice. Deliberately violating Jim Crow laws, their belief in non-violent
activism was sorely tested as mob violence and bitter racism greeted them along the way.
Each time the Freedom Riders met violence and their campaign seemed doomed, new
ways were found to sustain and even expand the movement. After Klansmen in Alabama
set fire to an original Freedom Ride bus, student activists from Nashville organized a ride
of their own. The Rides was front-page news and the world was watching, forcing a
reluctant Kennedy administration to take action.
Later, Mississippi officials locked up more than 300 Riders in the notorious Parchman
State Penitentiary. Rather than weaken the Riders‘ resolve, the move only strengthened
their determination. None of the obstacles placed in their path would weaken their
commitment.
After nearly five months of fighting, the federal government capitulated. In September of
1961, the Interstate Commerce Commission issued its order to end segregation in bus and
rail stations. It was the first unambiguous victory in the long history of the civil rights
movement, and it raised expectations across the board for greater victories in the future.
Organization
The exhibition is divided into six chronological sections describing the context of the
civil rights movement in the early Kennedy years, through the events of the summer of
1961, and their legacy: federal civil rights legislation, and a model for grassroots
movements to bring about change in the United Sates.
14
15
16
Freedom Riders
Traveling Exhibition Script
Section 1: The Journey to Nonviolence
Freedom Riders
Would you get on a bus to defend your ideals, even if it meant encountering violence?
Fifty years ago, more than 400 ordinary Americans did. By 1960, two U.S. Supreme
Court decisions had ruled that requiring racial segregation in interstate travel was illegal.
But the rulings were largely ignored in the South. To challenge this status quo, the
Freedom Riders performed a simple act. They traveled into the segregated South in small
interracial groups and sat where they pleased on interstate buses. The Freedom Rides
began on May 4, 1961, with a group of thirteen Riders recruited and trained by the
Congress of Racial Equality (CORE). By the summer, the Rides had evolved into a
broad-based movement involving hundreds of activists from local, regional, and national
civil rights organizations. Attracting a diverse group of volunteers—black and white,
young and old, male and female, secular and religious, Northern and Southern— the
Freedom Rides took the civil rights struggle out of the courtroom and onto the streets of
the Jim Crow South.
Photograph: Durham, North Carolina, 1941. Courtesy Library of Congress Prints
and Photographs Division.
Guide By Cell: Where you see this logo, you may call Guide By Cell to hear
audio interviews from the AMERICAN EXPERIENCE film Freedom Riders. Dial
(617) 245-3907, then enter the item number of the interview you want to hear,
followed by the # key.
This exhibition, developed by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, is a
companion to the documentary film Freedom Riders, produced by AMERICAN
EXPERIENCE for PBS.
Freedom Riders is written, produced, and directed by Stanley Nelson and based on the
book Freedom Riders: 1961 and the Struggle for Racial Justice by Raymond Arsenault.
www.pbs.org/freedomriders
Guide By Cell: To hear Freedom Rider coordinator Diane Nash describe the
impact of Jim Crow laws, call (617) 245-3907 and press 1#.
Nonviolent Direct Action
During and after World War II, the NAACP and other civil rights groups brought several
legal challenges to Jim Crow laws before the Supreme Court. In Morgan v. Virginia
(1946), the Court ruled that segregated seating on interstate buses was illegal. In Boynton
v. Virginia (1960), the ruling was expanded to bus terminal waiting rooms and
17
restaurants. However, as newspapers noted at the time, these decisions were not enforced
in the South.
Newspaper clipping: ―Her Fight Ends Bus Jim Crow‖ from The Afro-American,
Baltimore, July 6, 1946.
In the wake of the Morgan decision, the civil rights group CORE (Congress of Racial
Equality) set out on their 1947 Journey of Reconciliation to test the verdict on buses and
in stations in the upper South.
Photograph: Nine of CORE‘s Journey of Reconciliation volunteers pose for a
photograph in front of NAACP attorney Spottswood Robinson‘s Richmond,
Virginia, office, April 10, 1947 (L-R): Worth Randle, Wallace Nelson, Ernest
Bromley, Jim Peck, Igal Roodenko, Bayard Rustin, Joseph Felmet, George
Houser, and Andrew Johnson. Swarthmore College Peace Collection
Photograph: While James Farmer did not participate in the Journey of
Reconciliation, he later became the National Director of CORE, and in that role
was a leader of the 1961 Freedom Rides. © Corbis
Moving Forward
Hopes were high for ending legalized discrimination and winning equal rights for African
Americans in the 1950s and 60s. Along with court cases, nonviolent direct action
emerged as a powerful tool against segregation. Beginning in 1955, the Montgomery Bus
Boycott lasted for more than a year, raising the national profile of the civil rights
movement and ultimately resulting in the desegregation of all city buses.
Photograph: The inside of a Montgomery city bus in 1956, in midday, in the
middle of town, during the boycott. © Corbis
Photograph: Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr., gained fame for leading the
Montgomery Bus Boycott. However he didn‘t assume a leadership role in the
planning of the Freedom Rides.
Photograph: This iconic photograph of Rosa Parks sitting in the front section of a
bus in Montgomery was taken in December after the Supreme Court ruled city
bus segregation illegal on November 13, 1956. (Sitting behind Parks is Nicholas
C. Chriss, an Atlanta-based reporter for United Press International.) © Corbis
Another form of nonviolent direct action, the sit-in movement— initiated by black
college students in Greensboro, North Carolina—spread across the South in 1960,
rallying support for the broader civil rights movement.
Photograph: Student lunch counter sit-in © Corbis
18
―The New Frontier?‖ Hopes Deferred
In November 1960, John F. Kennedy was elected president, running on a platform of
―The New Frontier.‖ For reformers, this raised hopes for progress on social issues.
Quotation: ―We stand on the edge of a New Frontier—the frontier of unfulfilled
hopes and dreams, a frontier of unknown opportunities and beliefs in peril.
Beyond that frontier are uncharted areas of science and space, unsolved problems
of peace and war, unconquered problems of ignorance and prejudice, unanswered
questions of poverty and surplus.‖ — Kennedy‘s 1960 speech accepting the
Democratic nomination for president
Photograph: U.S. President John F. Kennedy delivers his inaugural address after
taking the oath of office on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C. on January 20, 1961.
© AP Photo
By early 1961 it was becoming clear that Kennedy viewed civil rights as a distraction
from foreign policy. Consumed with Cold War politics, Kennedy assigned civil rights
issues to his brother, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy. Civil rights activists feared
that their movement had stalled. They resolved to focus national attention on their goal of
ending segregation and achieving equality in a way that the president could not ignore.
Photograph: March 29, 1961: Freelance photographer Thomas Armstrong,
followed by a police officer and a snarling police dog, walks away from the
Jackson, Mississippi, courthouse where nine black youths are being tried for
disturbing the peace. Armstrong mumbled something to a policeman who chased
him. Another man joined the chase, whipped out a gun, and began to hit
Armstrong about the head with the gun. Police arrested the man for assault and
battery. © Corbis
Photograph: Black student protesting on behalf of integration of McCrory‘s store
in Rock Hill, South Carolina, February 11, 1961, after the arrest of four students.
© Corbis
Section 2: The First Freedom Ride: Washington to New Orleans
The Riders and The Plan
May 1961
On May 1, 1961, thirteen volunteers gathered at the Washington, D.C., headquarters of
CORE. They planned to travel by bus in interracial groups through the segregated Deep
South, and arrive in New Orleans on May 17, the seventh anniversary of the Brown v.
Board of Education decision. Seven blacks and six whites, eight Southerners and five
Northerners, these original Freedom Riders ranged in age from 18 to 61. They shared a
common goal: end segregation and achieve the full promise of the Constitution. On May
4, after three days of intensive training in nonviolence, they set off in two groups: one on
19
a Greyhound bus, the other on a Trailways bus. Three black journalists accompanied
them.
Quotation: ―I wish to apply for acceptance as a participant in CORE‘s Freedom
Ride, 1961, to travel via bus from Washington, D.C. to New Orleans, Louisiana
and to test and challenge segregated facilities en route. I understand that I shall be
participating in a nonviolent protest against racial discrimination, that arrest or
personal injury to me might result…‖ — A statement signed by all the Freedom
Riders
Photograph: The original thirteen Freedom Riders: Front row, left to right: Joe
Perkins, 27; Charles Person, 18; Frances Bergman, 57; Genevieve Hughes, 28;
and Jimmy McDonald, 29; Back row, left to right: John Lewis, 21; Jim Peck, 45;
Ed Blankenheim, 27; Hank Thomas, 19; Walter Bergman, 61; James Farmer, 41;
Not pictured: Rev. Benjamin Elton Cox, 29, and Albert Bigelow, 55 © Johnson
Publishing Company
Guide By Cell: To hear Freedom Rider John Lewis discuss why he joined the
Rides, call (617) 245-3907 and press 2#.
Map: WASHINGTON TO ALABAMA
This Associated Press map, constructed by Sid Moody in 1962, illustrates the
route taken by the Freedom Riders, and the reactions they encountered in each
place.
Photograph: Freedom Riders pose with map (left to right): Edward Blankenheim,
CORE director James Farmer, Genevieve Hughes, the Reverend B. Elton Cox,
and Hank Thomas. © AP Photo
May 5-13 Washington D.C. to Atlanta
During the first week, the Riders met with token resistance as they tested facilities in
Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina cities. The first arrest occurred on May 8 in
Charlotte, North Carolina, and the first violence on May 9 in Rock Hill, South Carolina,
where three Riders were beaten.
Photograph: Jim Peck (left) and Charles Person (right) sit next to each other on a
bus. (CORE director James Farmer is visible peering over the seat.) © Johnson
Publishing Company
In Atlanta the Riders met with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The respected leader publicly
commended their bravery, but privately he questioned the wisdom of proceeding into
Alabama, where the probability of violent resistance was high. He feared that the Riders‘
confrontational strategy might backfire, endangering the Riders‘ lives and causing more
harm than good. Despite King‘s warning and the obvious risks, all of the Freedom Riders
20
were determined to extend their experiment in nonviolent direct action into the heart of
the Deep South.
Photograph: Freedom Rider Frances Bergman, 57, a retired Michigan elementary
school teacher, speaks to a group of fellow Riders and supporters in a church in
Sumter, South Carolina, where Riders took a two-day rest stop and recruited four
new Freedom Riders. © Johnson Publishing Company
May 14 Violence in Alabama
An 18-year-old Klansman, Roger Couch, stretched out on the pavement in front of the
bus while other members of the mob slashed the tires. When the damaged bus left the
terminal a few minutes later, it was pursued by a caravan of approximately 50 cars filled
with Anniston Klansmen.
Six miles outside of Anniston the driver pulled over to inspect what he feared were
rapidly deflating tires. Almost immediately a mob surrounded the bus, and minutes later
one of the Klansmen threw a gas bomb through a broken window, igniting the upholstery
and filling the bus with acrid smoke. All of the passengers eventually managed to escape
but not before several mob members tried to bar the door in an attempt to trap the Riders
inside the burning bus.
As the Freedom Riders collapsed on the ground and gasped for air, two state troopers
restored order and dispersed the mob.
Two photographs: Freedom Riders outside the burning bus © Corbis
Guide By Cell: To hear Freedom Rider Hank Thomas describe the violence
encountered in Anniston, Alabama, call (617) 245-3907 and press 3#.
Photograph: A fireman inspects the burnt bus, which was completely destroyed by
the mob. The injured Freedom Riders struggled to get to a hospital, where they
were treated for smoke inhalation. Narrowly escaping a mob that surrounded the
hospital, the Riders went on to Birmingham to reconvene with the rest of the
group. © Corbis
Newspaper clipping: The violence in Anniston drew front-page headlines, like
this one from the Chicago Tribune. The Kennedy administration initially
considered the Freedom Rides a distraction from pressing foreign policy concerns
and tried to ignore them.
May 15 The Ride Ends in Birmingham
The Greyhound bus was destroyed outside of Anniston. The Trailways bus made it to
Birmingham, only to be confronted with another white-supremacist mob at the station.
21
The police had agreed not to intervene for fifteen minutes, during which Riders,
reporters, and bystanders were severely beaten.
Photograph: Freedom Rider Jim Peck, at a Birmingham hospital. A longtime
CORE activist, Peck had also participated in the 1947 Journey of Reconciliation.
© Corbis
Photograph: This picture shows a brutal attack by four members of the Ku Klux
Klan in Birmingham. © Corbis
Photograph: Birmingham‘s Commissioner of Public Safety Eugene ―Bull‖
Connor, a rabid segregationist, sanctioned the violent welcome the Riders
received. © The Birmingham News
Birmingham civil rights activist the Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth offered the Riders
shelter in the parsonage of his church, where they voted to continue their journey to New
Orleans. But no bus driver would take them. They appealed to the Justice Department to
support their constitutional right to travel. The day after the riots, Attorney General
Robert Kennedy sent his special assistant, John Siegenthaler, to ensure that the Riders
made it safely out of Alabama—by plane, not bus. Finally, after braving an angry mob
and repeated bomb scares at the airport, they depart for New Orleans.
Photograph: Seigenthaler speaks to an injured Jim Peck. © The Birmingham
News
Photograph: Police officers await the Riders‘ arrival in New Orleans.
Guide By Cell: To hear John Seigenthaler talk about his experiences in
Birmingham, Alabama, call (617) 245-3907 and press 4#.
The Freedom Ride brought attention to CORE and to nonviolent direct action. It also
demonstrated that massive resistance to desegregation was alive and well in the Deep
South.
Newspaper clipping: ―Operation Dixie-Riders will never be the same‖ © The
Birmingham News
Section 3: Get on Board, Little Children: Nashville to Montgomery
Nashville Movement May 14-17
After the CORE Freedom Riders failed to complete their ride to New Orleans, many
Americans were relieved that the provocative action had ended. But a group of young
activists from Nashville, Tennessee were determined not to let violence win. Inspired by
the nonviolent teachings of the Reverend James Lawson, Nashville students had launched
dozens of effective protests, establishing themselves as the nation‘s most disciplined local
22
movement. In April 1960, they helped found the Student Nonviolent Coordinating
Committee (SNCC). They resolved to continue the Freedom Rides with ―fresh troops.‖
The Justice Department tried to stop them, and CORE leader James Farmer advised that
resuming the Ride ―may be suicide.‖ But on May 17, twenty-one new volunteers left
Nashville bound for New Orleans via Birmingham and Montgomery, Alabama, and
Jackson, Mississippi. Twenty-two-year- old Diane Nash, a former student at Fisk
University, was chosen to coordinate the Rides.
Newspaper clipping: ―Police Escort ‗Riders‘ From State; Group Returns; More
Arrive‖ © Alabama Journal, May 19, 1961
Photograph of Diane Nash and other Freedom Riders © The Nashville
Tennesseean
Newspaper clipping: ―Negro Girl a Force in Campaign; Encouraged Bus to Keep
Rolling‖ © The New York Times
Guide By Cell: To hear Diane Nash describe the Nashville Student Movement‘s
determination to continue the Rides, call (617) 245-3907 and press 5#. © Getty
Images
Map: NASHVILLE TO MONTGOMERY
May 17-20 Standoff in Birmingham
The Nashville Riders reached Birmingham, Alabama where they were arrested for breach
of peace and placed in protective custody by city police. After two days of stalemate and
growing concern for the Riders‘ safety, the Justice Department negotiated an agreement
with Governor John Patterson to provide safe passage to Montgomery and on to
Mississippi.
Photograph: Once the regular passengers got off the bus, Birmingham‘s
Commissioner of Public Safety Bull Connor ordered local police to cover all the
windows with cardboard, so that the media could not access the Freedom Riders
inside. © The Birmingham News
Photograph: John Lewis was arrested upon arrival in Birmingham. Fellow
Freedom Rider Charles Butler is to the left of Lewis. © The Birmingham News
Photograph: James Zwerg opens door for fellow Freedom Rider Paul Brooks. ©
The Birmingham News
As described in this message from Alabama Commissioner of Public Safety Floyd Mann
to the Attorney General, Robert F. Kennedy, the situation at the Birmingham bus station
had grown tense. Police were stationed outside while Riders waited inside for a bus
driver willing to take them.
23
Photograph: Freedom Riders wait to board a bus in Birmingham. © Donald
Uhrbrock /Getty Images
May 20 Violence in Montgomery
Despite the agreement negotiated between Attorney General Kennedy and Governor
Patterson, officials in Montgomery withdrew police protection just before the Riders
arrived. The ensuing riot at the Montgomery Greyhound terminal sent several Freedom
Riders and John Seigenthaler to the hospital and drove the remaining Riders into hiding.
Because rioters attacked journalists first, few pictures survive.
Photograph: An off-duty policeman and Klan member kicks a reporter on the
sidewalk outside the terminal. © Donald Uhrbrock /Getty Images
Photograph: White men advance toward an injured black man. © Corbis
Newspaper clipping: ―Montgomery mob wreaks bloody horror‖ © The
Birmingham News
May 21: In the wake of the riots, civil rights leaders realized that solidarity and support
were essential. Martin Luther King, Jr., James Farmer, Fred Shuttlesworth, and others
organized a rally at Montgomery‘s celebrated First Baptist Church (Colored).
Photograph: Freedom Riders John Lewis (left) and James Zwerg bleeding after
the attack. Zwerg went untreated for over an hour, as white ambulance drivers
refused to take him to a hospital. © Bettmann/Corbis
Newspaper clipping: ― ‗We‘re Ready to Die,‘ Vow Beaten ‗Freedom Riders‘
After Riots‖ Pittsburgh Courier, June 3, 1961.
Guide By Cell: To hear John Lewis and James Zwerg discuss the attack in
Montgomery, call (617) 245-3907 and press 6#.
Photograph: King, with Ralph Abernathy of Montgomery (left), and Wyatt Tee
Walker of Atlanta. © Corbis
May 21-22 The Siege
On Sunday evening, May 21, the Freedom Riders and nearly 1500 supporters filled
Montgomery‘s First Baptist Church. Outside, thousands of angry white supremacists
gathered, throwing stones, bricks and Molotov cocktails at the church. The 400 federal
marshals assigned to protect the Freedom Riders proved insufficient as the church came
under siege. Dr. King, in a series of desperate telephone conversations with Attorney
General Robert Kennedy, pled for more federal assistance. After several tense hours and
mounting pressure from Washington, Governor John Patterson avoided federal military
24
intervention by declaring martial law and dispatching Alabama National Guardsmen to
the scene.
Photograph: Outside the church the mob turned violent, damaging property and
overwhelming local police. © The Birmingham News
Photograph: Martin Luther King, Jr., called Robert F. Kennedy in Washington,
D.C., from Montgomery‘s First Baptist Church during the siege. © Corbis
Peace was finally restored in the early morning of Monday, May 22. As reports and
images of the episode spread across the nation and the world, the Freedom Rides became
a symbol of American hypocrisy, and Alabama the flashpoint of the civil rights struggle.
Photograph: Freedom Rider supporters choke on tear gas as they step outside the
First Baptist Church in Montgomery, Sunday evening, May 21, 1961. © Corbis
Photograph: Governor Patterson reluctantly declared martial law, dispatching the
Alabama National Guard to patrol the scene outside the church. © Corbis
Newspaper clipping: ―R.F. Kennedy Asks ‗Return To Reason‘‖ © Birmingham
Post-Herald, May 22, 1961
Section 4: The Whole World is Watching
Days of Decision
May 22-23
After the Montgomery riots and church siege came serious debate: should the Rides
continue? Who should participate, where should they go, and when should they leave?
The Riders, civil rights leaders, and eager new volunteers found temporary refuge at the
home of Dr. Richard Harris, where they discussed these questions intensely for two days.
Despite lingering concerns about the potential for violence—and distrust of the
government‘s willingness or ability to enforce their constitutional rights—the group
resolved to proceed to Mississippi. They announced their intentions at a public press
conference.
Photograph: Freedom Riders at the home of Dr. Richard Harris. From left to right:
Julia Aaron, David Dennis, Paul Dietrich, and John Lewis. © Bruce
Davidson/Magnum Photos
Photograph: Movement leaders gave a public press conference in Montgomery.
Left to right: James Farmer, Ralph Abernathy, Martin Luther King, Jr., and John
Lewis. © Corbis
25
Photograph: May 21: Byron White, top assistant to Attorney General Robert
Kennedy, meets with Alabama Governor John Patterson to discuss the growing
racial violence.
Quotation: ―Freedom Riders must develop the quiet courage of dying for a
cause…We all love life, and there are no martyrs here—but we are well aware
that we may have some casualties…I‘m sure these students are willing to face
death if necessary.‖ —Martin Luther King, Jr., to the press on May 23
Map: MONTGOMERY TO JACKSON
May 24-25 ―Mississippi Justice‖
Attempting to end the crisis, representatives of the Kennedy administration urged
Governor Patterson of Alabama, Senator James O. Eastland of Mississippi, and other
state leaders to guarantee the Riders‘ safe passage from Alabama to Mississippi. Finally,
two groups of Freedom Riders departed for Jackson, Mississippi, on May 24, under
heavily armed guard. But when they arrived in Jackson, they were promptly arrested by
Mississippi authorities on charges of breach of peace.
Photograph: National Guardsmen with rifles protect the route of the Freedom
Riders‘ Trailways bus to Jackson. © The Birmingham News
Photograph: Freedom Riders Rip Patton, Bernard Lafayette, and James Lawson
en route from Montgomery to Jackson, accompanied by National Guardsmen with
bayonets. © Bruce Davidson/Magnum Photos
Guide By Cell: To hear James Lawson describe his experiences on the bus from
Montgomery to Jackson, call (617) 245-3907 and press 7#.
Newspaper clipping: ―Robert Kennedy‘s Aim in south: Uphold Law but Take No
Sides‖ The Washington Post, May 27
Despite the serious risks involved in joining the Freedom Rides, the determination and
courage of the Riders began to draw more volunteers to the movement. Activists from all
over the country traveled to Jackson, where hundreds were arrested over the next three
months.
Photograph: Two women Freedom Riders being arrested and climbing into police
car © Getty Images.
Newspaper clipping: ―27 Bus Riders Arrested On Entry in Mississippi‖ The
Washington Post, May 25
Photograph: May 24: Police with dogs await the arrival of Freedom Riders in
Jackson. © Corbis
26
May 26-30 The Movement Heats Up
Betrayed by the arrests, movement leaders met in Atlanta on May 26 to organize the
Freedom Rider Coordinating Committee (FRCC). To show that there was no shortage of
reinforcements for the arrested Riders, 17 new volunteers were dispatched to Jackson
from Nashville on May 28. After CORE leaders in New York unveiled a plan to broaden
the nonviolent initiative to rail and air terminals, white segregationists in the Deep South
faced the unwelcome prospect of an expanding and increasingly diverse array of Freedom
Riders.
Photograph: May 29: Across the country, prospective Freedom Riders like these
in New Orleans, volunteered to join the nonviolent movement. © AP Photo
Photograph: Four white professors from Connecticut and three black students, one
from New Haven and two from Charlotte, North Carolina, arrived in
Montgomery, where they were temporarily placed under military guard. Center,
with glasses, is Yale chaplain William Sloane Coffin, Jr. © AP Photo
Newspaper clipping: ―Hundreds Ready to Join, Jailed Riders Declare‖
Montgomery Advertiser, May 26
Photograph: May 30: A group of New York City activists prepare to leave Times
Square for Washington, D.C. to picket the White House on behalf of the Freedom
Riders. © Corbis
June International Embarrassment
As President Kennedy prepared for a major summit meeting in Vienna, racial violence in
the South posed an embarrassing threat to American prestige. On May 29, Attorney
General Robert Kennedy made an unprecedented move: he requested a sweeping
desegregation order from the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) and asked the
FRCC to suspend the Freedom Rides during the hearings. FRCC leaders refused to
suspend the Rides; by early June the arrival and arrest of new Freedom Riders had
become a daily ritual in Jackson. With no end in sight, the crisis continued to attract
international attention and frustrate the Kennedy administration.
Quotation: ―[the Freedom Riders] are accomplishing nothing whatsoever and, on
the contrary, are doing positive harm…[the] bus riders are, of course, within their
legal rights in riding buses where they like…[but] the result of these expeditions
are of no benefit to anyone, white or Negro, the North or the South, nor the
United States in general. We think they should stop it.‖ —David Brinkley, NBC
evening news broadcast
Newspaper clipping: ―Cooling-Off Period Urged By Kennedy‖ Montgomery
Advertiser, May 25
27
Newspaper clipping: ―Rev. Shuttlesworth Speaks His Mind in Ala. ‗Cool Off?
For What?‘‖ Pittsburgh Courier, June 3
Quotation: ―The recent incidents in Alabama speak eloquently of the problems
that the devout and pious Mr. Kennedy has to resolve in his own country, before
engaging his country in adventures against peoples where there is no problem of
racial segregation.‖ —Radio Havana, Cuba 1961
Newspaper clipping: ―U.S. Foes Elated by Alabama Crisis‖ D.C. Daily News,
May 24
Newspaper clipping: Russian newspaper, headline reads: ―Be Ashamed,
America!‖ Kommersant, May 23
Newspaper clipping: French headline reads ―Martial Law Declared in Alabama.‖
Le Figaro, May 26
Newspaper clipping: German headline reads ―The Racial Conflict in Alabama.‖
Neue Zurcher Zeitung, May 24
Section 5: Ain‘t Gonna Let No Jailhouse Turn Us ‗Round
Destination Doom
June
The Freedom Rides continued during the ICC hearings. Wave upon wave of Riders
arrived in Jackson—sixty groups in all—and were promptly arrested and jailed on the
charge of breach of peace. The FRCC prepared to appeal the arrests, and since
Mississippi law waived the right to appeal after thirty-nine days in jail, the FRCC had to
raise money for bail. With Riders flooding city and county jails, Mississippi Governor
Ross Barnett authorized the transfer of forty-five Riders to Parchman Prison Farm on
June 15. The notorious state facility, nicknamed Destination Doom, represented the
movement‘s greatest challenge yet.
Guide By Cell: To hear Freedom Riders Hank Thomas and Joan Mullholland
describe what they encountered at Parchman State Prison, call (617) 245-3907
and press 8#.
Photograph: Mississippi governor Ross Barnett, an opponent of civil rights. July
20, 1960. © Corbis
Newspaper clipping: ―Chief says Jackson ready, jail big enough for ‗riders‘‖ May
31. The Birmingham News
28
Photograph: A group of Freedom Riders led by James Farmer being transferred
from the Hinds County Jail to the Hinds County Penal Farm; two weeks later they
were transferred again, this time to the dreaded Parchman Prison Farm. © Corbis
Map: ROADS TO FREEDOM
July
University of Nonviolence
If Barnett thought Parchman Prison would stop the Freedom Rides, he was wrong. The
Rides expanded, as ministers, rabbis, teachers, and labor leaders joined the movement.
The FRCC opened training centers in New Orleans, Atlanta, and Nashville, sending
Riders to Jackson every week, and others to the Carolinas, Florida, and Arkansas.
Photograph: The maximum security unit at Parchman Prison, where hundreds of
Freedom Riders were held. (Pictured in 1962.) © AP Photo
Newspaper clipping: ―‗They Say They‘ve Plenty Room‘, ‗We‘ll Fill Their Jails‘‖
June 10, The Pittsburgh Courier
By early July, 200 Riders had been arrested and sent to Parchman for breach of peace.
The notorious prison became a ―University of Nonviolence.‖ Riders shared experiences
and tactics, discussed Gandhian philosophy and politics, and kept their spirits up singing
freedom songs. The struggle to end bus segregation had become the multi-front battle that
state and federal officials had hoped to avoid.
Guide By Cell: To hear Freedom Rider Bernard Lafayette discuss how music
created solidarity among the Riders, call (617) 245-3907 and press 9#.
Newspaper clipping: ―Jailed ‗Riders‘ Number Over 200 In Jackson‖ July 10,
1961. © The Montgomery Advertiser
Mug shots: Mississippi Dept. of Archives and History
August
Stalemate
By the end of July crisis had been replaced by grinding routine: prison life, fundraising,
legal wrangling. Mississippi officials labeled the Freedom Riders as Communist inspired
subversives, but the Rides continued. A nationwide fundraising drive saved the
movement from financial collapse. But for how long?
In mid-August, nearly 200 Riders returned to Jackson for a mass arraignment. Their
trials, scheduled to go on through the following January, threatened to drain the FRCC‘s
resources. Their best hope still lay with the Interstate Commerce Commission.
29
Poster: Poster advertising Community Mass Meeting on August 13. Courtesy of
Mary Jean Smith
Newspaper clipping: ―Jackson Revisited By 170 Appealing ‗Rider‘ Arrests‖
August 14. The Montgomery Advertiser
Photograph: At the August 13 rally in Jackson, James Farmer speaks to a crowd
of 1500, including nearly 200 Freedom Riders in town to appeal their previous
convictions in Hinds County Court. © Corbis
September
Victory
Finally, on September 22 , the Freedom Riders triumphed. The Interstate Commerce
Commission issued a sweeping desegregation order. As of November 1, Jim Crow signs
had to be removed from bus stations. Every interstate bus had to display a certificate:
―Seating aboard this vehicle is without regard to race, color, creed, or national origin, by
order of the Interstate Commerce Commission.‖
Photograph: November 2: Police chief in McComb, Mississippi, stands by a Jim
Crow sign. © AP Photo
Newspaper clipping: ―ICC Forbids Bus Station Segregation‖ © The Washington
Post
FRCC leaders hailed the legal milestone, but took nothing for granted. In November and
December, they dispatched nearly 700 Riders to test enforcement. The Justice
Department prosecuted several local officials who resisted. In just six months, the
Freedom Riders‘ nonviolent actions had achieved the civil rights era‘s first major
success.
Photograph: Riders testing enforcement of the ICC desegregation order exit their
bus in McComb, Mississippi. © AP Photo
Section 6: Legacy of the Freedom Rides
Reverberations of the Rides 1962-1963
Hundreds involved with the Freedom Rides came away committed to grassroots action
as a strategy for achieving justice. And the movement expanded rapidly. When several
students affiliated with SNCC were arrested in 1962 in Albany, Georgia, more than 700
local African Americans joined them in jail, an unprecedented show of solidarity. At the
August 28, 1963, March on Washington, Freedom Rider John Lewis spoke about the
work that remained to be done: ―Our minds, souls, and hearts cannot rest until freedom
and justice exist for all the people.‖
30
Photograph: Mayor Asa Kelley of Albany, Georgia, asks protesters gathered in
front of City Hall to disperse, December 13, 1961. © Corbis
Photograph: Crowds gathered on the Mall, Washington, D.C., August 28, 1963.
Courtesy Library of Congress Prints and Photograph Division.
1963-65 Legislative Action
On June 11, 1963, President Kennedy addressed the nation from the White House, calling
for legislation to protect the rights of African American citizens. After lengthy political
wrangling, the Johnson administration pushed comprehensive civil rights legislation
through Congress. The Civil Rights Act, signed into law in 1964, outlawed
discrimination in all ―public accommodations,‖ including workplaces and schools. The
Voting Rights Act, passed in 1965, made it illegal for states to enact any ―prerequisite for
voting‖ designed to disenfranchise African American citizens. This landmark legislation
showed that grassroots insurgency in the form of nonviolent direct action could influence
national lawmakers. The Freedom Rides brought national attention to the urgent problem
of segregation, and accelerated the government‘s response.
Quotation: ―If an American, because his skin is dark, cannot eat lunch in a
restaurant open to the public, if he cannot send his children to the best public
school available, if he cannot vote for the public officials who will represent him,
if, in short, he cannot enjoy the full and free life which all of us want, then who
among us would be content to have the color of his skin changed and stand in his
place? Who among us would then be content with the counsels of patience and
delay? ...The events in Birmingham and elsewhere have so increased the cries for
equality that no city or State or legislative body can prudently choose to ignore
them….Next week I shall ask the Congress of the United States to act, to make a
commitment it has not fully made in this century to the proposition that race has
no place in American life or law.‖ —President John F. Kennedy, Radio and
Television Report to the American People on Civil Rights, June 11, 1963
Photograph: Photograph by Abbie Rowe, National Park Service, in the John F.
Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum, Boston.
Photograph: Lyndon Baines Johnson signing the Civil Rights Act, July 2, 1964.
Cecil Stoughton, White House Press Office (WHPO)
Fifty Years Later
The Rights Revolution
The Freedom Riders and their movement created a successful model of nonviolent
direct action, which has been applied to womens‘ rights, gay rights, immigration
reform, environmental justice, and international conflict resolution in the late
twentieth century. What began as a simple action—black and white people sitting
together on a bus—became a model for courageous activism that continues to inspire.
31
All contemporary photographs are by Eric Etheridge, from his book Breach of Peace:
Portraits of the 1961 Mississippi Freedom Riders.
All mug shots appear courtesy of the Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission Records,
Mississippi Department of Archives and History.
Bernard Lafayette, who led the ―second wave‖ from Nashville to Birmingham, went on
to organize the 1968 Poor People‘s Campaign with Martin Luther King, Jr. Now, he
teaches at Emory University in Atlanta and runs workshops in peace and reconciliation
worldwide.
Photograph: Photographed July 10, 2007
Carol Ruth Silver, who kept a journal during her time in Parchman Prison, went on to
become a member of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and helped spearhead the
gay rights movement with her colleague Harvey Milk.
Photograph: Photographed February 18, 2007
John Lewis, an original CORE Freedom Rider who was among the first to be arrested for
breach of peace in Jackson, took courageous initiative in nearly every fight of the civil
rights movement. Now the last living speaker from the March on Washington, he has
represented Georgia‘s fifth district in the House of Representatives since 1987.
Photograph: Photographed July 25, 2007
Stephen Green, whose Parchman cell adjoined that of Stokely Carmichael, went on to
become the deputy country director for UNICEF in Ethiopia from 1973-76, where he
worked to expose and then respond to the dire famine the Ethiopian government was
trying to conceal.
Photograph: Photographed May 14, 2005
Jean Thompson, a CORE activist from New Orleans, was arrested on June 6, 1961. After
Jackson, she returned home to train new Freedom Riders, and continued her work in civil
rights, anti-war, and feminist efforts in Mississippi, North Carolina, and San Francisco.
Photograph: Photographed June 23, 2007
Today
Freedom Riders Continue the Work
Following the Rides, Freedom Riders continued to dedicate themselves to the ideal of the
―beloved community.‖ The mug shots taken at the Jackson arrests, paired with
32
contemporary portraits taken nearly fifty years later, tell a story of enduring commitment
to social justice and human rights. The legacy of the Freedom Rides lives on.
Photograph: Freedom Riders Bill Harbour, Lucretia Collins, James Zwerg,
Catherine Burks, John Lewis, and Paul Brooks in Chicago July 1961. All six
would remain active in the struggle for social justice for years to come. Courtesy
Bill Harbour
Reverend John Crocker, Jr., a World War II veteran, was arrested for sitting in a Jackson
bus terminal on September 13, 1961. He became an Episcopal chaplain at Brown
University and later at MIT.
Photograph: Photographed June 18, 2007
Pauline Knight-Ofusu, a member of the Nashville student movement, became an
environmental health scientist, joining the EPA in 1972 as its first female pesticide
inspector.
Photograph: Photographed May 7, 2007
Joan Trumpauer Mulholland of Washington, D.C. transferred from Duke University to
Tougaloo College in Jackson, Mississippi. After graduating in 1964, she worked for a
federal program helping communities resolve racial issues, and later as a teacher in the
Arlington, VA public schools.
Photograph: Photographed July 26, 2007
33
Freedom Riders
Guide by Cell Audio Transcript
#1 Freedom Ride Coordinator Diane Nash
Not knowing what to expect was certainly a part of traveling throughout the South. Black
people, just based on the color of-of our skin, were hated and treated with contempt. The
very fact that there were separate facilities was to say to black people and white people
that blacks were so subhuman and so inferior that we could not even use public facilities
that the general public used. And that was so demeaning and so humiliating. So you
never knew quite what would have happened, by the time you got where you were going.
#2 Freedom Rider John Lewis
When I applied to go on the Freedom Ride I had to write an essay. And I didn‘t know that
much about trying to write an application or essay, but I did it. And it read something
like: I‘m a senior at American Baptist Theological Seminary, and hope to graduate in
June. But on the other hand, the Freedom Ride is much more of a challenge to what I
believe than a degree. I know that an education is important, and I hope to get one. But at
this time, human dignity is the most important thing in my life. This is the most important
decision in my whole life, to decide to give up all, if necessary, to the Freedom Ride, that
justice and freedom may come to the Deep South. And it was signed, ―Your fellow
freedom fighter, John R. Lewis.
When I wrote this little essay, I was convinced that I might not return after going on the
Freedom Ride. I knew it was a very dangerous mission, to get on a Greyhound bus in
Washington DC and ride into Virginia, to North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia,
Alabama, into Mississippi. I‘d never been to Mississippi before. And I remember on that
night when we had the last meal at a little Chinese restaurant in Washington DC, when
we were eating, someone said, ―You must eat well. This may be like the last supper.‖
#3 Hank Thomas
After we got outside of the city, the bus driver pulled over to the side of the road, and
there was a crowd of people there at a– looked like a general store. I since later learned
that the bus tires had been slashed, and all of the air– the tires had gone flat,
coincidentally right at the point where this other mob of people were waiting. Like
everyone else on the bus, I‘m pretty afraid. Okay? That‘s putting it mildly. I see this
crowd out here. As long as they can‘t get on the bus, we‘re safe. And they‘re rocking the
bus, so I‘m thinking: Now, can they actually turn this bus over? At this point, something
was shot aboard the bus from the rear window. And the bus is burning in the back. We‘ve
got the mob outside. I had to make a decision. Do I go outside and this mob is going to
kill me, beat me to death? Or do I stay here and burn on the bus? So I ran up to the front
of the bus, and by now the bus is completely smoke-filled. And I tried to open the door,
and the people on the outside of the bus were holding it. And I– Only thing I could hear:
―Let‘s burn them niggers. Let‘s burn them niggers alive.‖ And I‘m throwing myself
against that door, trying to get it open—there‘s an explosion in the back of the bus. The
explosion is that the flames have gotten to the fuel tank, and the fuel tank exploded. And
when that happened, I heard somebody say, ―It‘s going to go! It‘s going to go!‖ And they
34
ran, and that was the only way we could get that door open. And within 2 to 3 minutes,
that bus was fully engulfed in flame.
Well, when I got off the bus, a man came up to me, and I‘m coughing and strangling. He
said, ―Boy, you all right?‖ And I‘m thinking, well, you know, this is somebody who‘s
concerned. And I nodded my head, and the next thing I knew, I was on the ground. He
had hit me with part of a baseball bat. As I‘m getting up off the ground, 4-5 guys coming
at me again. And this is when I see the highway patrolman just standing there. I got
behind him. And in getting behind him, I‘m stumbling, I grabbed him. And when I did
that, he grabbed his pistol. And I‘m thinking, ―Oh my God, I‘ve done it now.‖ You don‘t
touch a white man in the South, and you certainly don‘t touch a white police officer.‖ He
pulls his gun, and he fired in the air. He says, ―Okay, you‘ve had your fun. Let‘s move
back.‖ And that‘s was stop– what stopped it.
#4 Assistant to Attorney General Robert Kennedy John Seigenthaler
By the time I get there, they‘re still trapped in that airport. They are frightened to death.
They go to the restroom in pairs. They can‘t get served any food. They‘re visible because
they‘ve been so badly beaten. And they were glad to see somebody from the federal
government. I got with the manager of Delta we were out of there on the first flight and
when we arrived in New Orleans state police formed a corridor from the steps at the
bottom of the plane to the terminal. And I will say, they were cursed and condemned with
racial slurs from the bottom of that ladder till we walked into that terminal—you
wouldn‘t believe it, from state police officers, just spewing filth and venom and hatred.
And so we walked into the terminal and I delivered them to their friends, who had come
out to meet them. And there were tears and-and there was joy.
And I went to a motel to spend the night. And you know, I thought: What a great hero I
am. I– (you know) How easy this was. (you know) I mean, I just took care of everything
the President and the Attorney General wanted done. Mission accomplished. So I‘m
asleep. It‘s before dawn. My phone in the hotel room rings, and it‘s the Attorney General.
And he opened the conversation, ―Who the hell is Diane Nash?‖ And he said, ―Well, she
is responsible for directing another wave of Freedom Riders that are coming down from
Nashville. Call her and let her know what is waiting for them, and tell her she must not
do this.‖ So I called Diane Nash. And I said, ―I understand that there are more Freedom
Riders coming down from Nashville, you must stop them if you can. Her response was,
―Well, the Freedom Riders have left, and they‘re on the way. And I couldn‘t call them
back if I wanted to. But they‘re not going to turn back. They‘re on the way to
Birmingham and they‘ll be there shortly.‖
Thinking back, my voice raised a decibel, and I explained what I had seen in Birmingham
in that airport when I walked in there: beaten, frightened people who had narrowly
escaped death. And so I spoke to her in stern terms, with a strident tone. Many times I‘ve
thought about it since. You know that spiritual, ―Like a tree standing by the water, I will
not be moved?‖ She would not be moved. And-and I felt my voice go up another decibel
and another, and soon I was shouting, ―Young woman, do you understand what you‘re
doing? You‘re going to get somebody– You understand, you‘re going to get somebody
35
killed.‖ And there‘s a pause, and she said, ―Sir, you should know, we all signed our last
wills and testaments last night. We know someone will be killed. But we cannot let
violence overcome nonviolence.‖ That‘s virtually a direct quote of the words that came
out of that child‘s mouth. Here I am, an official of the United States government,
representing the President and the Attorney General, talking to a student at Fisk
University. And she, in a very quiet but strong way, gave me a lecture. She was not going
to be moved. And so I had to call the Attorney General and tell him that I had failed.
#5 Freedom Ride Coordinator Diane Nash
It was clear to me that if we allowed the Freedom Ride to stop at that point, just after so
much violence had been inflicted, the message would have been sent that all you have to
do to stop a nonviolent campaign is inflict massive violence, and that would end it. So it
was important that the Freedom Ride continue. The Nashville group was very committed
to desegregation, and we had been watching the progress of the Freedom Ride; had
anticipated that at some point they might need help. And we (s) were standing by in order
to provide the help that we could. The people who were going on the Freedom Ride from
Nashville elected me to be the coordinator. And that was a really heavy responsibility.
Some of the students who were getting on the bus gave me sealed envelopes to be mailed
in the event of their death. What we did in the South was change ourselves from What we
did in the South was change ourselves from people who could be segregated into people
who could no longer be segregated. The attitude became, ―Well, kill us, if that‘s what
you‘re going to do, but you cannot segregate us any longer.‖
#6 Freedom Rider James Zwerg When we reached the city limits, the police escort disappeared. And as we entered
Birmingham, there was no police escort to be seen. As we drew closer to the terminal, we
became aware that vehicular traffic and pedestrian traffic was also nonexistent. There just
wasn‘t anything happening. And John whispered, ―This doesn‘t look good.‖
We all got off the bus, and John was getting ready to go to the microphone, and just as he
is about to do this, this fellow that had kind of been standing around, went at one of the
fellows that was moving one of the parabolic mikes. And he grabbed it out of his hand
and he threw it to the ground, stomped on it, and turned and approached one of the
photographers and grabbed his camera, and yanked on it, and [in] doing so, the
cameraman fell to the ground. He started kicking and beating him, and that seemed to be
the cue, because from around the bus parking area, from up the driveways, from around
the corner, this mass of humanity, screaming at the tops of their lungs, ―Get ‗em! Get the
niggers! Go out and get ‗em, get ‗em.‖ And you could see baseball bats and pieces of
pipe and hammers and chains and people holding bricks. One fellow had a pitchfork. And
you could just see the hatred in their eyes, just coming, and knew of course that we‘re
going to get hurt. So in that moment, I bowed my head and I asked God to be with me, to
give me the strength I would need to remain nonviolent and to forgive them. And there
was a railing that we were standing next to, and I was yanked over that and thrown to the
ground, and got to all fours to try and get back to the group, and that‘s when I got kicked
in my spine. And I heard a crack and fell forward, rolled over on my back, and a foot
came down in my face and basically– that was– that was it. I was out.
36
Freedom Rider John Lewis
An angry mob that grew to several hundred just came out of nowhere—women, men,
young people—with baseball bats, with chains, with lead pipes, wooden crates, anything
that could be used as a weapon, started beating members of the media. If you had a
camera, they would just beat you. Then they turned on us. And I was hit in the head with
a wooden crate, left bloody, unconscious, on the streets in Montgomery. And I remember
someone from the attorney general office coming up while I was lying down, tried to read
an injunction to me, prohibiting interracial groups from traveling through the state of
Alabama. The last thing I recall, standing with Jim Zwerg. We both was bloody. Our
clothes were soaked in blood.
#7 Freedom Rider Reverend James Lawson
We did not ask for this overwhelming military and police protection for a simple
nonviolent ride in a bus from Montgomery, Alabama, to Jackson, Mississippi. We were a
nonviolent group, and what a disgrace it was to civil-civilized people that a group of
neatly dressed men and women, many of us college-educated people, clergy (and there
were at least 4 or 5 clergy in that group of 13), to ride from Montgomery to Jackson
required, in the minds of the government, state troopers and National Guard and
helicopters and police cars of all kinds, in front and back of the bus.
#8 Freedom Rider Joan Mullholland
When the Hines County Jail got too crowded, they decided to move us all up to
Parchman. And we were put in paddy wagons to be driven up We got there at night, as I
remember, and were taken in, into this (sort of) dark building, and– At least it seemed
dark then. This was all women at this point. I think they‘d already taken the guys. But we
were– had to strip and get examined, a vaginal exam being the least pleasant and
unexpected part of it. Matrons had on rubber gloves and would dip them into what
smelled sort of like Lysol or some concoction like that, and then they‘d gouge up us and
back into the Lysol, or whatever it was, and on to the next one. And that-that was really
intimidating. Showed they could do anything they wanted to us, and probably would.
Freedom Rider Hank Thomas
When we were finally transported to Parchman State Penitentiary, that‘s when the
dehumanizing process started. What they would do, strip you of all of your clothes, and
make you walk down a long cellblock, naked. And that‘s the way– And the few clothes
that you had were in the cellblock that you were assigned to. And those clothes consisted
of a pair of undershorts and a t-shirt. That‘s all you wore. And there was nothing more
humiliating, shall we say, than just: you‘re walking down naked and a group of people
just looking at you. And I‘ll never forget seeing some of these dignified men, just
parading down the cellblock naked.
#9 Freedom Rider Bernard Lafayette
We made up a song and we sang it to the jailers to tell them and warn them to get ready,
to be prepared, that we were not the only ones coming Buses are a’comin’, oh yes.
Buses are a’comin’, oh yes.
Buses are a’comin’, buses are a’comin’,
37
Buses are a’comin’, oh yes.
We say to the jailers:
Better get you ready, oh yes.
The jailer said, ―All right, shut up all that, singing, hollering in there. This is not no
playhouse. This is the jailhouse.‖ So we said to ourselves, ―what are you going to do? Put
us in jail?‖ [laugh]
Better get you ready, oh yes.
Better get you ready, oh yes.
They said, ―Wait a minute. Hold it. If we hear one more peep out of you guys, we‘re
going to take your mattress.‖ Let me think:
You can take our mattress, oh yes.
You can take our mattress, oh yes.
We start piling up the mattress at the door, so they wouldn‘t have any problem. So they–
(you know) we were with the program. We‘re going to still sing. And we continued to
sing.
And then they said that they were going to take our toothbrushes. And someone
struck out:
You can take our too–
We said, ―Wait a minute. Hold up. This is time for Quaker consensus. We all got to
agree on this together.‖ Because we were, eight of us in a cell built for two. And that
means you have close quarters. And so we learned to sing with our mouths closed, so we
wouldn‘t breathe on each other. And we sang:
You can take our toothbrush, oh yes.
You can take our toothbrush, oh yes.
You can take our toothbrush,
You can take our toothbrush,
You can take our toothbrush, oh yes.
So we were letting them know from the get-go that we were our own persons, and we
would determine what we wanted to do. And the songs were a way of captivating our
own emotions. Because one thing you have to do when you‘re in a stressful situation is
be able to control your emotions. You often hear people say, ―I lost it.‖ Well, we couldn‘t
afford to lose it. So the music and that sort of thing put us in harmony with each other,
gave us support for each other, and we relished the opportunity.
38
Freedom Riders
Books for Adult Readers
Arsenault, Raymond. Freedom Riders: 1961 and the Struggle for Racial Justice. Oxford
University Press, 2000.
Badger, Tony and Brian Ward, eds. The Making of Martin Luther King and the Civil
Rights Movement. New York University, 1997.
Birnbaum, Jonathan and Clarence Taylor. Civil Rights Since 1787: A Reader in the
Black Struggle. New York University Press, 2000.
Branch, Taylor. Parting the Waters: America in the King Years, 1954-63. Simon and
Schuster, 1988.
Branch, Taylor. Pillar of Fire: America in the King Years, 1963-65. Simon & Schuster,
1998.
Branch, Taylor. At Canaan's Edge: America in the King Years, 1965-68. Simon &
Schuster, 2006.
Carson, Clayborne. In Struggle: SNCC and the Black Awakening of the 1960s. Harvard
University Press: 1981.
Chappell, David L. A Stone of Hope: Prophetic Religion and the Death of Jim Crow.
University of North Carolina Press, 2004.
Clar, D., (David J. Garrow, Gerald Gill, and Vincent Harding (Eds.)). The Eyes on the
Prize Civil Rights Reader: Documents, Speeches, and Firsthand Accounts from
the Black Freedom Struggle. Penguin, 1991.
Cook, Robert. Sweet Land of Liberty?: The African-American Struggle for Civil Rights
in the Twentieth Century. Longman, 1998.
Dailey, Jane, Glenda Elizabeth Gilmore, Bryant Simon, eds. Jumpin’ Jim Crow:
Southern Politics from Civil War to Civil Rights. Princeton University Press,
2000.
D'Emilio, John. Lost Prophet: The Life and Times of Bayard Rustin. Free Press, 2003.
Fairclough, Adam. Better Day Coming: Blacks and Equality, 1890-2000. Viking, 2001.
Farmer, James. Lay Bare the Heart: An Autobiography of the Civil Rights Movement.
New American Library, 1985.
39
Franklin, John Hope, and Alfred A. Moss, Jr. From Slavery to Freedom: A History of
African Americans. A.A Knopf, 2000.
Hersh, Burton. Bobby and J. Edgar: The Historic Face-Off Between the Kennedys and J.
Edgar Hoover That Transformed America. Basic Books, 2007.
Jonas, Gilbert. Freedom's Sword: The NAACP and the Struggle against Racism in
America, 1909-1969. Routledge, 2005.
Kasher, Steven. The Civil Rights Movement: A Photographic History, 1954-68.
Abbeville Press, 1996.
Klibanoff, Hank and Gene Roberts. The Race Beat: The Press, the Civil Rights Struggle,
and the Awakening of a Nation. Vintage, 2007.
Lawson, Steven F. Civil Rights Crossroads: Nation, Community, and the Black Freedom
Struggle. University Press of Kentucky, 2003.
Levy, Peter B. The Civil Rights Movement. Greenwood Press, 1998.
Lewis, John and Michael D'Orso. Walking with the Wind: A Memoir of the Movement.
Simon and Schuster, 1998.
Marable, Manning and Leith Mullings. Let Nobody Turn Us Around: Voices of
Resistance, Reform, and Renewal: An African American Anthology. Rowman &
Littlefield Publishers, Inc., 1999.
McWhorter, Diane. Carry Me Home: Birmingham, Alabama: The Climactic Battle of
the Civil Rights Revolution. Simon & Schuster, 2001.
Murray, Paul T. The Civil Rights Movement: References and Resources. G.K. Hall,
1993.
Navasky, Victor S. Kennedy Justice. Atheneum, 1971.
Noble, James Phillips, William B. McClain, and Nan Woodruff. Beyond the Burning
Bus: The Civil Rights Revolution in a Southern Town. New South Books, 2003.
Oshinsky, David M. Worse than Slavery: Parchman Farm and the Ordeal of Jim Crow
Justice. Free Press, 1996.
Payne, Charles and Steve Lawson. Debating the Civil Rights Movement. Rowman &
Littlefield Publishing, 1998.
Sargent, Frederic O. The Civil Rights Revolution: Events and Leaders, 1955-1968.
McFarland & Co., 2004.
40
Smith, Bob. They Closed Their Schools: Prince Edward County, Virginia, 1951-1964.
Robert Russa Moton Museum, 2008.
Sugrue, Thomas. Sweet Land of Liberty: The Forgotten Struggle for Civil Rights in the
North. Random House, Inc., 2008.
Van DeBurg, William L. New Day in Babylon: The Black Power Movement and
American Culture, 1965-1975. University of Chicago Press, 1993.
Verney, Kevern. Black Civil Rights in America. Routledge, 2000.
Weisbrot, Robert. Freedom Bound: A History of America's Civil Rights Movement.
W.W. Norton, 1990.
Wright, Richard. 12 Million Black Voices. Basic Books, 2002.
41
Freedom Riders
Books for Younger Readers
Middle Grades
Adler, David. Heroes for Civil Rights. Holiday House, 2007.
Aretha, David. The Trial of the Scottsboro Boys (The Civil Rights Movement). Morgan
Reynolds Publishing, 2007.
Bausum, Ann. Freedom Riders: John Lewis and Jim Zwerg on the Front Lines of the
Civil Rights Movement. National Geographic Children's Books, 2005.
Beals, Melba. Warriors Don’t Cry. Simon Pulse, 2007.
Bowers, Robert. Spies of Mississippi: The True Story of the Spy Network that Tried to
Destroy the Civil Rights Movement. National Geographic Children's Books, 2010.
Bridges, Ruby. Through My Eyes. Scholastic Press, 1999.
Bullard, Sara. Free At Last: A History of the Civil Rights Movement and Those Who Died
in the Struggle. Oxford University Press, 1994.
Fradin, Dennis Brindell and Judith. The Power of One: Daisy Bates and the Little Rock
Nine. Clarion Books, 2004.
George, Charles. Living through the Civil Rights Movement. Greenhaven, 2006.
Greenberg, David. A Tugging String: A Novel About Growing Up During the Civil Rights
Era. Dutton Juvenile, 2008.
Hardy, Sheila Jackson and P. Stephen. Extraordinary People of the Civil Rights
Movement. Children's Press. 2007.
Hinton, KaaVonia. Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, 1954 (Monumental
Milestones: Great Events of Modern Times). Mitchell Lane Publishers, 2009.
Landau, Elaine. The Civil Rights Movement in America (Cornerstones of Freedom,
Second Series). Children‘s Press, 2007.
Levine, Ellen. Freedom's Children: Young Civil Rights Activists Tell Their Own Stories.
Putnam Juvenile, 2000.
Mayer, Robert. When the Children Marched: The Birmingham Civil Rights Movement.
Enslow Publishers, 2008.
42
McKissack, Patricia. Abby Takes A Stand. Illust. Gordon James. Turtleback, 2006.
McWhorter, Diane. A Dream of Freedom: The Civil Rights Movement from 1954 to 1968.
Scholastic Nonfiction, 2004.
Medearis, Angela Shelf. Dare to Dream: Coretta Scott King and the Civil Rights
Movement. Illust. Anna Rich. Puffin, 1999.
Parks, Rosa. Rosa Parks: My Story by Rosa Parks. Dial, 1992.
Partridge, Elizabeth. Marching For Freedom: Walk Together Children and Don't You
Grow Weary. Viking Juvenile, 2009.
Pinkney, Andrea Davis. Let It Shine: Stories of Black Women Freedom Fighters. Illust.
Stephen Alcorn. Harcourt Children's Books, 2000.
Price, Sean Stewart. When Will I Get In?: Segregation and Civil Rights (American
History Through Primary Sources). Heinemann-Raintree, 2007.
Rappaport, Doreen. Nobody Gonna Turn Me 'Round: Stories and Songs of the Civil
Rights Movement. Illust. Shane Evans. Candlewick, 2008.
Regis, Frankye. A Voice from the Civil Rights Era. Greenwood, 2004.
Rochelle, Belinda. Witnesses to Freedom: Young People Who Fought for Civil Rights.
Puffin, 1997.
Stokes, John, Herman Viola, and Lois Wolfe. Students on Strike: Jim Crow, Civil Rights,
Brown, and Me. National Geographic Children's Books, 2007.
Thomas, Joyce Carol. Linda Brown, You Are Not Alone: The Brown vs. Board of
Education Decision. Illust. Curtis James. Hyperion, 2003.
Tuck, Mary. The Civil Rights Movement for Kids: A History with 21 Activities (For Kids
series). Chicago Review Press, 2000.
Ages 4-8
Adler, David A. A Picture Book of Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday House, 1990.
Benson, Kathleen. John Lewis in the Lead: A Story of the Civil Rights Movement. Illust.
Benny Andrews. Lee & Low Books, 2006.
Birtha, Becky. Grandmama's Pride. Illust. Colin Bootman. Albert Whitman & Company,
2005.
43
Edwards, Pamela Duncan. The Bus Ride that Changed History. Sandpiper, 2009.
Haskins, Jim. Delivering Justice: W.W. Law and the Fight for Civil Rights. Illust. Benny
Andrews. Candlewick, 2008.
Johnson, Angela. A Sweet Smell of Roses. Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, 2007.
Malaspina, Ann. Finding Lincoln. Illust. Colin Bootman. Albert Whitman & Company,
1999.
Medearis, Angela. Just For You! Singing For Dr. King. Illust. Cornelius Van Wright and
Ying-Hwa Hu. Teaching Resources, 2004.
Miller, Jake. The 1963 March on Washington: Speeches and Songs for Civil Rights.
PowerKids Press, 2004.
Mis, Melody S. Meet Malcolm X. PowerKids Press, 2008.
Monroe, Judy. Thurgood Marshall: Civil Rights Champion. Capstone Press, 2005.
Newton, Vanessa. Let Freedom Sing. Blue Apple Books, 2009.
Pingry, Patricia. Meet Rosa Parks. Illust. Steven Walker. CandyCane Press, 2008.
Rappapor, Doreen. Martin's Big Words: The Life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Illust.
Bryan Collier.Hyperion Books, 2001.
Reynolds, Aaron. Back of the Bus. Illust.Floyd Cooper. Philomel, 2010.
Ringgold, Faith. If A Bus Could Talk: The Story of Rosa Parks. Aladdin, 2003.
Shelton, Paula Young. Child of the Civil Rights Movement. Illust. Raul Colon. Schwartz
& Wade, 2009.
Shore, Diane Z. and Jessica Alexander. This Is the Dream. Illust. James Ransome.
Amistad, 2009.
Weatherford, Carole Boston. Freedom on the Menu: The Greensboro Sit-Ins. Illust.
Jerome Lagarrigue. Puffin, 2007.
Windham, Mary Tucker. Ernest's Gift. Illust. Frank Hardy. JuneBug Books, 2004.
44
Freedom Riders
Related Web Sites
AMERICAN EXPERIENCE
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/
Freedom Riders Documentary and Project
www.pbs.org/freedomriders
Freedom Now!
www.stg.brown.edu/projects/FreedomNow/
Archival collaboration between Brown University and Tougaloo College to create
a searchable database of documents from the Brown University and Tougaloo
College Archives pertaining to the Civil Rights Movement.
History Now
www.historynow.org
This quarterly online journal published by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of
American History contains articles by noted historians as well as lesson plans,
resource guides, and links to related websites.
June 2006: The Civil Rights Movement
www.gilderlehrman.org/historynow/06_2006/
In Motion: The African-American Migration Experience
www.inmotionaame.org/home.cfm
From the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, an
educational website on Black migration over the last 400 years with free access to
historical documents and 100 reproducible lesson plans for teachers.
An Interactive Civil Rights Chronology
www.yale.edu/lawweb/jbalkin/brown/index.html
International Civil Rights Movement Center & Museum
www.sitinmovement.org/home.asp
The King Center
www.thekingcenter.org/Default.aspx
Library of Congress African American Odyssey Online exhibit
memory.loc.gov/ammem/aaohtml/exhibit/
Martin Luther King, Jr. Research and Education Institute
mlk-kpp01.stanford.edu/index.php/kingpapers/index
The National Civil Rights Museum
45
www.civilrightsmuseum.org/home.htm
Oh Freedom Over Me
americanradioworks.publicradio.org/features/oh_freedom/
Downloadable hour-long American Radio Works radio story about the
Mississippi Freedom Summer.
PBS Civil Rights Timeline
www.pbs.org/wnet/aaworld/timeline/civil_01.html
Timeline with links to related National Public Radio stories.
PBS Kids WayBack – Civil Rights
http://pbskids.org/wayback/civilrights/index.html
Interactive website for children.
Putting the Movement back into Civil Rights Teaching
www.civilrightsteaching.org
Resource guide for teaching and learning about the Civil Rights Movement.
The Children Shall Lead
www.outreach.olemiss.edu/Freedom_Riders/
Website for the film that documents the 1961 Freedom Rides
Unsung Foot Soldiers
www.footsoldier.uga.edu/index.html
University of Georgia site that focuses on Georgia‘s involvement in the
movement and is a source for primary documents, films, and photographs.
46
Freedom Riders
Related Films & Videos
The following is a general list of documentary films that might be used with the
―Freedom Riders‖ exhibit. This is not a comprehensive list. It is a starter list for
institutions interested in showing films. Please preview films to judge their
appropriateness for your audience.
Each institution wishing to show films or videos related to ―Freedom Riders‖ to
the public must themselves arrange for public performance rights (PPR).
Scottsboro: An American Tragedy (2000)
Director: Barak Goodman and Daniel Anker
Distributor: PBS Home Video
Runtime: 84 minutes In March 1931, two white women stepped off a box car in Paint Rock, Alabama, with a
shocking accusation of gang rape, by nine black teenagers on the train. So began the
Scottsboro case, one of the 20th century's fieriest legal battles. The youths' trial generated
the sharpest regional conflict since the Civil War, led to momentous Supreme Court
decisions, and helped give birth to the civil rights movement.
James Baldwin, Price of the Ticket (1990)
Director: Karen Thorsen
Distributor: California Newsreel
Runtime: 87 minutes James Baldwin (1924-1987) was a major twentieth century American author, a Civil
Rights activist and, for two crucial decades, a prophetic voice calling Americans, Black
and white, to confront their shared racial tragedy. This film captures the passionate
intellect and courageous writing of a man who was born black, impoverished, gay and
gifted.
LBJ Tapes - The Johnson White House Tapes Vol. 4: Uncivil Liberties: Hoover &
King (1999)
Director: Philip Day
Distributor: White Star
Runtime: 60 minutes
This is the fourth episode of the documentary series LBJ Tapes, which showcases
important events during Lyndon B. Johnson's presidency, based on recordings Johnson
made on his own telephone line. In this volume, Uncivil Liberties: Hoover and King, the
battle between FBI director J. Edgar Hoover and Civil Rights leader Martin Luther King
is examined from LBJ's perspective, during the time that he was working to pass the 1964
Civil Rights Act.
Eyes On The Prize: America's Civil Rights Years (2009)
Director: Henry Hampton
Distributor: PBS
Runtime: 360 minutes
47
Eyes on the Prize tells the definitive story of the civil rights era from the point of view of
the ordinary men and women whose extraordinary actions launched a movement that
changed the fabric of American life, and embodied a struggle whose reverberations
continue to be felt today.
Standing on My Sisters' Shoulders (2002)
Director: Laura J. Lipson
Distributor: Women Make Movies
Runtime: 60 minutes The documentary takes on the Civil Rights movement in Mississippi in the 1950s and 60s
from the point of view of the courageous women who lived it – and emerged as its
grassroots leaders.
The Good Fight (2009)
Director: Jessica Schoenbaechler
Distributor: AMS Pictures
Runtime: 65 minutes
A relentless leader, a dynamic speaker, and a forceful organizer, James Farmer was one
of the first civil rights activists to use nonviolent direct action to fight for dignity and
justice.
Brother Outsider: the Life of Bayard Rustin (2008)
Director: Nancy Kates and Bennett Singer
Distributor: NeoFlix
Runtime: 84 minutes Illuminates the life and work of Bayard Rustin, who has been described as "the unknown
hero" of the civil rights movement, was a mentor to Martin Luther King Jr., and the
architect of the legendary 1963 March on Washington.
A. Philip Randolph: For Jobs & Freedom (1996)
Director: Dante James
Distributor: California Newsreel
Runtime: 86 minutes
This film takes viewers on a tour of civil rights and labor history as it chronicles A. Philip
Randolph's legendary efforts to build a more equitable society.
At the River I Stand (1993)
Director: David Appleby, Allison Graham and Steven Ross
Distributor: California Newsreel
Runtime: 56 minutes
This document depicts the Memphis sanitation workers‘ strike of spring 1968 and uses
stirring historical footage to show the community mobilizing behind the strikers,
organizing mass demonstrations, and an Easter boycott of downtown businesses.
48
Freedom Riders
Partnering with Public Television
Public Television
The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is the most prominent program provider of TV,
web and education resources to U.S. public television stations, distributing brands such as
AMERICAN EXPERIENCE, the PBS NewsHour, Masterpiece, FRONTLINE, Nature and
children‘s series like Curious George, Arthur and Word Girl.
PBS is a member organization—rather than a TV network or cable channel—composed
of 167 licensees which each pay membership and program fees. These station fees (along
with federal funds disbursed by CPB) pay for a portion of the cost of programming that is
distributed by satellite to member stations, many of which operate multiple channels in
their local markets.
The size and scale of public television stations vary greatly, but together their digital
broadcasts can be viewed by 99 percent of the country's population. Most public
television stations produce local TV programs. Some stations also produce programs for
national distribution through PBS or through other national distributors such as American
Public Television (APT). More than 90 also operate public radio stations.
Most public television stations are full-service, meaning they pay the full membership
dues required to broadcast all of the programming provided by PBS. There are some
stations, which share a market with another station, and thus pay reduced membership
dues. In exchange they may only broadcast a limited selection of PBS programs, which
they typically air on a delayed basis.
In addition to providing some of the nation's most acclaimed news and public affairs,
science, nature, cultural, and children's programming, public television stations provide a
wide range of community and educational services for children and adults, usually in
partnership with educators and civic organizations. Outreach services range from large to
small-scale initiatives that accompany national broadcast series, and focus on issues
including literacy, history, health and locally based community concerns.
PBS and its member stations are leaders online through web-based education services,
online lecture series, podcasts, streaming video and download to own programming
(pbs.org is one of the leading dot-org sites on the Internet); they are also leaders in
education technology, such as closed captioning for hearing impaired viewers, and
Descriptive Video Service® for blind or visually impaired audiences.
49
Tips on Working with Your Public Television Station
Getting Started
Ask for the outreach or community relations department at your local station and find
a liaison that is willing and able to work with your organization.
Be specific about your project, timeline and the kind of help or relationship you seek.
Look for opportunities to tie into already existing initiatives and events at the station
and your organization.
Clearly establish the roles and expectations your institution and the station will have
in your partnership. What resources will each contribute for impactful outcomes?
For planning and resource management, many stations commit far in advance to
initiatives and will want to know your project timeline to determine if participation is
feasible.
Discuss how you will evaluate the success of the project and your partnership.
Some Collaboration Options
Work with your local station to feature your outreach activity in its various
communication outlets (e.g. newsletters/e-newsletters, program guide, member
magazine, Web site, Facebook page, etc.) Stations often have limited resources, so
providing the necessary promotional language may improve your chances of getting
visibility in these outlets.
Spread the word online!
o Create a link on your site to the local public television station's home page
o Provide the station with information about your project to post on its local
Web site and/or Facebook page.
o Post your event along with cleared series promo (if available) on YouTube.
Cross-promote the series and your project. Stations can potentially pitch your project
to their local press connections.
o Create a joint press release for local distribution about the station's broadcast
of the series and your related activities.
o Share press contacts for story placements.
Create flyers about your project activities to be included in the station's membership
mailings, distributed at events, or distributed electronically.
Jointly host community events.
50
Freedom Riders
Authorized Publicity Image and Credit
All institutions will receive a CD containing the authorized publicity image, sponsor
logos and sample PR materials. Please keep this CD in a safe place. A replacement fee
may be charged for institutions requesting additional copies. These images will not be on
the exhibition web site. Please use credit line at all times.
Publicity Image
1. Burning bus image. Credit: © Corbis
Logos to Be Included
1. Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History logo in black-and-white
2. AMERICAN EXPERIENCE PBS logo in color
3. National Endowment for the Humanities logo in black-and-white
Guidelines for Use of Publicity Images
The use of this image is restricted to noncommercial or educational activities and
promotion of the ―Freedom Riders‖ exhibition at the specified institution venue
hosting the exhibit. This use should occur only during the time period for which
the institution is scheduled to host the exhibit or for advance publicity. Resale or
commercial use of any image for profit in another publication, edition, format, or
language is prohibited. Image may not be used for publicity for programs
involving fundraising.
A copy of all publicity materials using this image must be provided to the Gilder
Lehrman Institute with the institution‘s final report for the exhibition.
Institutions may not reformat, redesign or otherwise alter the image, nor re-use the
image in other products not associated with the exhibit, nor allow others to use it
(except for media outlets).
The image must be accompanied by the credit provided.
In the event of violation of these conditions, the sponsors of ―Freedom Riders‖
reserve the right to terminate a participating institution‘s use of the exhibition.
Institutions are liable for damages, claims, suits or other legal proceedings arising
from or attributed to violation of third party rights resulting from any
unauthorized creation, use, display, or modification of advertising or publicity
materials relating to the exhibit.
51
SAMPLE MEDIA ALERT/CALENDAR LISTING
For Immediate Release Contact: (Institution Contact)
(MONTH, DATE, YEAR) (Telephone, Email)
At the (NAME OF INSTITUTION)…..
―Freedom Riders,‖ opening at the (NAME OF INSTITUTION) on (DATE) is a
national traveling exhibition that tells the powerful, harrowing and inspirational civil
rights story of six months in 1961 that changed America forever. It will be on display
from [Insert Dates]. Organized by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History and
PBS‘s flagship history series, AMERICAN EXPERIENCE, this exhibition combines powerful
photography and news coverage of the Rides, as well as first-hand audio accounts of this
dangerous experiment in the fight for civil rights. A companion to the May 2011 PBS
broadcast of the AMERICAN EXPERIENCE film Freedom Riders, the exhibition has been
made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
From May until November 1961, more than 400 black and white Americans
risked their lives—many endured savage beatings and imprisonment—for simply
traveling together on buses and trains as they journeyed through the Deep South.
Deliberately violating Jim Crow laws, the Freedom Riders‘ belief in non-violent activism
was sorely tested as mob violence and bitter racism greeted them along the way.
―Freedom Riders‖ examines the 1961 Freedom Rides from many perspectives-- that of
the Riders themselves, the Kennedy administration, and the international community.
52
(NAME OF INSTITUTION) is offering programs and other events for the
public in connection with the exhibition. Call (TELEPHONE NUMBER) for details, or
visit (INSTITUTION WEB SITE).
53
SAMPLE NEWS RELEASE
Immediate Release
Contact: (Institution Contact)
(Telephone)
(Email)
[Name of Institution] TO HOST NATIONAL EXHIBITION ON
1961 FREEDOM RIDERS
Exhibition is a companion to the forthcoming
AMERICAN EXPERIENCE film Freedom Riders
Your City, State (DATE) – The (Name of Institution) is pleased to announce
that it will host the national traveling exhibition ―Freedom Riders‖, which looks at six
months in 1961 when more than 400 courageous Americans — old and young, black and
white, men and women, Northern and Southern — risked their lives to challenge
segregated facilities in the South. The exhibition, which will be on display from (DATE
HERE), is a companion to the May 2011 PBS broadcast of AMERICAN EXPERIENCE film
Freedom Riders, directed by Stanley Nelson.
The ―Freedom Riders‖ exhibition combines powerful photography and news
coverage of the 1961 Freedom Rides and examines the movement from many
perspectives —that of the Riders, the Kennedy administration, and the international
community. To enhance the experience, visitors can use their cell phones to access
54
powerful first-hand audio accounts of this dangerous experiment in the fight for civil
rights.
The Freedom Riders had a simple but daring plan: to board buses in small
interracial groups to test and challenge segregated facilities in the South. The Freedom
Riders endured savage beatings, humiliation, and imprisonment, but ultimately, their
brave actions and commitment to nonviolence changed American forever. ―Freedom
Riders‖ explores this little-known chapter in civil rights history, and explains how the
selfless actions of the Freedom Riders laid the groundwork for some of the most
important civil rights legislation in our nation‘s history.
The exhibition, created by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History and
PBS‘s flagship history series, AMERICAN EXPERIENCE, is funded through a major grant
from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
―We are pleased to have been selected as a site for this exhibition,‖ said (Exhibit
Coordinator or Director). ―The 1961 Freedom Rides are an inspiring example of what
ordinary individuals can accomplish. The actions and the bravery of the Freedom Riders
provide invaluable lessons for our young people today, and for anyone who hopes to
make a difference in our community, country, or world.‖
The [Name of Institution] is one of twenty sites nationwide selected to host the
―Freedom Riders‖ exhibition. The site is sponsoring programs and other events for the
public in connection with the exhibition. Contact (Name, telephone number, email) or
visit (website) for more information.
55
About AMERICAN EXPERIENCE
Television‘s most-watched history series, AMERICAN EXPERIENCE has been hailed
as ―peerless‖ (Wall Street Journal), ―the most consistently enriching program on
television‖ (Chicago Tribune), and ―a beacon of intelligence and purpose‖ (Houston
Chronicle). On air and online, the series brings to life the incredible characters and epic
stories that have shaped America‘s past and present. Acclaimed by viewers and critics
alike, AMERICAN EXPERIENCE documentaries have been honored with every major
broadcast award, including twenty-four Emmy Awards, four duPont-Columbia Awards,
and fourteen George Foster Peabody Awards, one most recently for Two Days in
October.
About the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
Founded in 1994, the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History is a nonprofit
organization improving and enriching American history education through a wide range
of programs and resources for students, teachers, scholars, and history enthusiasts
throughout the nation. Gilder Lehrman creates and works closely with history-focused
schools; organizes summer seminars and development programs for teachers; produces
print and digital publications and traveling exhibitions; hosts lectures by eminent
historians; administers a History Teacher of the Year Award in every state and U.S.
territory; and offers national book prizes and fellowships for scholars to work in the
Gilder Lehrman Collection as well as other renowned archives. Gilder Lehrman hosts
www.gilderlehrman.org, serving as the gateway to American history online and featuring
the quarterly online journal History Now, designed specifically for K-12 teachers and
students.
56
About the National Endowment for the Humanities
Created in 1965 as an independent federal agency, the National Endowment for
the Humanities supports learning in history, literature, philosophy, and other areas of the
humanities. NEH grants enrich classroom learning, create and preserve knowledge, and
bring ideas to life through public television, radio, new technologies, museum
exhibitions, and programs in libraries and other community places. Additional
information about the National Endowment for the Humanities and its grant programs is
available on the Internet at www.neh.gov.
###
The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
19 West 44th
Street, Suite 500
New York, NY 10036
www.gilderlehrman.org
57
SAMPLE PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENTS
:10 A new traveling exhibition at the (NAME OF INSTITUTION) tells the
powerful, harrowing and inspirational civil rights story of six months in
1961 that changed America forever. ―Freedom Riders‖ begins on (DAY,
DATE). Call (TELEPHONE NUMBER) or visit (WEB SITE
ADDRESS) for details.
:20 A new traveling exhibition at the (NAME OF LIBRARY) looks at six
months in 1961 when more than 400 courageous Americans — old and
young, black and white, men and women, Northern and Southern —
risked their lives to challenge segregated facilities in the South. The
―Freedom Riders‖ exhibition combines powerful photography and news
coverage of the 1961 Freedom Rides and examines the movement from
many perspectives —that of the Riders, the Kennedy administration, and
the international community. To enhance the experience, visitors can use
their cell phones to access powerful first-hand audio accounts of this
dangerous experiment in the fight for civil rights. Come to (NAME OF
LIBRARY), beginning on (DAY, DATE) to explore the exhibition,
―Freedom Riders,‖ for yourself. Call (TELEPHONE NUMBER) or visit
(WEB SITE ADDRESS) for details.
:30 The (NAME OF INSTITUTION) invites you to explore a new exhibition
that tells the powerful, harrowing and inspirational civil rights story of six
months in 1961 that changed America forever. ―Freedom Riders‖ begins
on (DAY, DATE) at the library.
The Freedom Riders had a simple but daring plan: to board buses in small
interracial groups to test and challenge segregated facilities in the South.
The Freedom Riders endured savage beatings, humiliation, and
imprisonment, but ultimately, their brave actions and commitment to
nonviolence changed American forever. ―Freedom Riders‖ explores this
little-known chapter in civil rights history, and explains how the selfless
actions of the Freedom Riders laid the groundwork for some of the most
important civil rights legislation in our nation‘s history.
The exhibition was developed by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of
American History in partnership with AMERICAN EXPERIENCE. Major
funding for the exhibition is provided by the National Endowment for the
Humanities.
It will be on display at the (NAME OF INSTITUTION) from (DATE) to
(DATE). For more information about the instiutions‘s programs for the
exhibition, call (TELEPHONE NUMBER) or visit (WEB SITE
ADDRESS).
58
Freedom Riders
Promotion Suggestions
INTRODUCTION
To draw the audience you seek and create awareness about your exhibition-related
events, we encourage institutions to plan and implement an effective promotional
campaign.
The following guidelines are intended to help you launch a successful campaign.
Included are general suggestions for promotional activities and sample media materials.
Please note: All promotional materials should feature the ―Freedom Riders‖ credit line
acknowledging the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History and the National
Endowment for the Humanities. Please use the organizational logos whenever possible.
GETTING STARTED
To meet media and other deadlines, you will need to start promoting the exhibition and
events at least two months in advance.
First, you will need to determine your target audience, goals for audience size and the
best communication methods for this program. Involving your fellow staff members in
program planning can be a great way to start determining these things and foster new
ideas and additional support and enthusiasm. Try holding a mini-workshop or
brainstorming session for the staff.
Additionally, share your program plans with the institution director, board, Friends and
other institution support groups and invite their ideas and cooperation.
DEFINING YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE
Your general promotional materials such as flyers, press releases and advertisements are
great vehicles for reaching a general audience of mixed ages and backgrounds. However,
there are probably many other groups in your community that will be very interested in
the ―Freedom Riders‖ exhibition. These groups can provide support through passing the
information on to members of their organization who may be interested in attending or
providing financial and other support. Examples include historical societies, museums,
arts and humanities councils, etc.
DEVELOPING AN AUDIENCE PROFILE
Ask yourself the following questions when you are developing an idea of the audiences
you want to reach with ―Freedom Riders‖ publicity:
Where do they work?
59
What newspapers do they read?
What radio programs do they listen to?
What other community activities do they partake in?
What social, religious, professional, civic organizations do they belong to?
What educational institutions do they or their children attend?
What special arrangements do they require? Is a particular time of day best for
programs? Need child care? Need signing for deaf/hard of hearing?
CHOOSING YOUR COMMUUNICATION METHODS
Once you‘ve determined ―who‖ you would like to participate in your program, you need
to focus on ―how‖ you‘re going to let them know about the event. Most communication
methods fall into these four categories:
1. Public Relations/Publicity
NOTE: Several sample and promotional materials have been developed for this
exhibition. Feel free to use these materials.
Contacting the media and using the Web to publicize your event is key to getting your
message out to a mass audience. Here are a few methods you can use to contact your
local media and through the Web:
Press and Media
Send a press release announcing the event to your local newspapers, radio
stations and television stations at least two to four weeks before the event.
If possible, address press releases to a specific reporter. If that information is
not available, address press releases to the ―News Desk‖ for larger
publications or ―Editor‖ for smaller publications. Also, if any of these
publications also have a ―Calendar of Events‖ section, be sure to send a press
release to the contact for this section. Quite often, publications will run an
article about an upcoming event and include information about it in their
community calendar sections.
About a week before your event, follow up the press release by sending a
media alert via fax to key contacts. The alert provides specific information
about the date, time and location for reporters and photographers who may be
interested in attending the event or including the information in an ―Upcoming
Events‖ section.
If you find that media professionals are interested in attending the event or in
getting more information, you will need to have additional materials in a press
kit. The press kit should contain one copy of the press release, media alert,
photos and biographies of your speakers and other key participants, and copies
of all promotional materials.
60
Since television and radio stations are required to use a percentage of their
airtime for non-profit and public announcements, your local stations may be
willing to air a free public service announcement (PSA) about your program or
event.
The Web
If your institution‘s Web site doesn‘t having a ―Coming Events‖ section, talk
to your Webmaster about creating one. The Web is a key way to provide
details to patrons and community members who may have heard about the
event, but need details about the date, time, location, topics discussed, etc.
Also include links from your site to your partners‘ sites. If you post
information about the series on your institution‘s Web site, be sure to include
the Web address on all promotional materials.
The Web can also be useful for getting the word out about your event through
other organizations‘ Web sites. Your city, community centers, local media
outlets and Chamber of Commerce may post information about community
events on their Web sites. Additionally, many major cities also have Web-
based entertainment and event guides, like citysearch.com, which provide
information about events in several cities.
2. Direct Marketing
Using the list of community organizations and other groups you identified as your target
audience, you can use direct marketing to contact these groups and individual members
of these groups.
When contacting community and other organizations, use a personalized letter
or phone call. You can also use a copy of your program flyer as an informal
letter, if needed, but be sure to include a personal note soliciting support.
In addition to contacting organizations, you may want to target individuals in
your community. If you keep a list of patrons‘ e-mail addresses, sending a
mass e-mail message about the upcoming event can be an effective and
inexpensive way to get the word out to a number of people. If e-mail
addresses are not available, you may want to consider creating a postcard to
mail to institution patrons, community members or others. Additionally, you
may want to send an e-mail message about the program to community group
leaders to post to their electronic discussion groups or forward on to their own
address lists.
3. Personal Contact
One-on-one personal contact can be one of your most effective ways of communicating
with key individuals and groups.
61
Create a list of influential individuals in your community—the mayor, city
council members, business leaders, etc.—who may be interested in your
event. Send them a letter and program flyer about the event and ask to meet
with them to discuss further. If a meeting is not possible, mention in your
letter that you will call them within a week to follow-up. Even if these
individuals cannot participate in the series, letting them know about the
program could help the institution in other ways.
When contacting community groups, you may want to ask to speak for five to
ten minutes at one of their upcoming meetings or events. At the meeting,
outline your overall series plan and present convincing reasons why the series
may be of interest to them. If speaking at a meeting is not possible, ask the
group leaders to pass out flyers or mention the program to their members and
staff.
4. Advertising
Often the most expensive promotional method, advertising can also be one of the most
effective vehicles for promoting your program.
Promotional flyers and posters should be simple and include: the basic title or
theme for the series, an identifying graphic, times, place, speakers‘ names and
brief biographical information, acknowledgement of funders and program
partners, and if applicable, your institution‘s Web address.
Paid advertising in local newspapers and on local radio or television stations
can be another effective, but costly method. Before considering paid
advertising, approach your local newspapers, radio and television stations
regarding free public service announcements. If you consider paid advertising,
also look to your Friends or other groups to underwrite costs.
Developing simple, cost effective bookmarks, buttons or other promotional
items is another effective way to promote your event. These promotional
items can also double as a ―freebie‖ for patrons who attend the programs.
PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER
After reviewing this list, spend a little time thinking about which of these methods will
work best for your event, your community and your institution. Consider your budget and
time available. Consider your planning team—is this effort a one-man production or
committee-based? And, consider past successes and failures by looking at which
communication methods you‘ve used to promote past events. For this exhibition, you
may want to combine some successful methods you‘ve used before with some new ideas.
Also, keep in mind your goal for the size and type of audience you wish to attract.
62
Freedom Riders
Exhibit Shipping & Receiving Information
All shipping costs will be billed to the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American
History office.
The shipper for ―Freedom Riders‖ will be Tenure Transport. The exhibition travels in six
wheeled, molded, hard plastic containers: each approximately 43‖ long, 34‖ high, and 9‖ wide.
Important: Because there is a limited time available to get the exhibition from one site to
another, institutions should have the exhibition dismantled and ready for pick-up the first
business day after the exhibition closes. The closing day in most cases is a Friday. This does not
mean the shipper will always pick up the exhibit the first business day, but the exhibit should be
ready to go at any time during the week after closing.
HOST INSTITUTIONS ARE REQUESTED TO PROCEED AS FOLLOWS:
1. Tenure Transport will call institutions to arrange convenient delivery and pick-up times. If you
have not heard from Tenure Transport by at least forty-eight hours before the exhibit should be
delivered, please call Tenure Transport at the following number between 9:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.
Eastern Standard Time to confirm delivery arrangements:
Terry Kollar
Cell: (714) 797-0903
Fax: (714) 209-0901
E-mail: [email protected]
If you have not heard from Tenure Transport by the day the exhibit closes, please call the above
to arrange for pick-up.
2. Please arrange for delivery and pick-up during business hours (9-5 your time). Give Tenure the
following information:
Name and telephone number of a contact person.
Address where exhibition should be delivered or picked up and actual place of delivery or
pick-up at that address, such as back or front of building, etc.
Opening and closing times of building if relevant.
Special conditions that apply, e.g., parking restrictions, no loading dock, ramp access, use
of back door only, tractor-trailer access, stairs, etc.
The Gilder Lehrman Institute contact person for inquiries about ―Freedom Riders‖ shipping is:
Joanna Byrne
Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
19 West 44th
Street, Suite 500
New York, NY 10036
Phone: (646) 366-9666 Fax: (646) 366-9669
E-mail: [email protected]
63
Damage Report Form
Institution: _________________________ City/State: __________________________
Contact: ____________________________ E-mail: _____________________________
1. Please check the condition of all material as you unpack crates.
2. If you observe damage that prevents display of the exhibit and/or requires a panel replacement,
immediately call Joanna Byrne at (646) 366-9666.
3. Otherwise, complete this form within 48 hours and fax or e-mail to the address below. We must have a
damage report form on file from each institution.
Unit No. Panel No. Needs Needs Damage Damage Repair Replace on arrival at institution
Shipping Cases/Exterior
Cases—cracked / dented __________________________________________________________________
Handles—missing / damaged ______________________________________________________________
Straps & Clips—missing / damaged _________________________________________________________
Wheels—attachment / condition ____________________________________________________________
Other (describe)
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
Shipping Cases/Interior
Cardboard inserts—missing / damaged ______________________________________________________
Packing trays—missing / damaged __________________________________________________________
Straps & clips—missing / damaged _________________________________________________________
Other (describe)
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
Metal Frame Units
Surface—cut / dented, etc. ________________________________________________________________
Hinges—missing / damaged _______________________________________________________________
Leveling feet—missing / damaged __________________________________________________________
Other (describe)
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
Graphic Panels
Surface—cut / dented ____________________________________________________________________
Print—detached from backing _____________________________________________________________
Other (describe)
______________________________________________________________________________________
______________________________________________________________________________________
Please fax or e-mail this form within 48 hours of unpacking the exhibit to:
Joanna Byrne
Phone: (646) 366-9666
Fax: (646) 366-9669
E-mail: [email protected]
64
Final Report—―Freedom Riders‖ Exhibition
PLEASE NOTE: This report must be returned to the address below within 30 days of the closing of the
exhibition. Reporting is a requirement for all exhibit projects organized by the Gilder Lehrman Institute. Failure
to make a timely final report may affect your institution‘s opportunities to host future exhibits or take part in
other Gilder Lehrman Institute projects. Please use extra paper if necessary.
1. INSTITUTION NAME:____________________________________________________________________
2. CITY/STATE: ________________________ EXHIBITION DATES: ________________________
3. EXHIBITION ATTENDANCE
Total # exhibit visitors: __________________ Actual_______________ Estimate____________________
Total # institution visitors during exhibit: ___________ Actual____________ Estimate_________________
Source of statistics: __________________________________________________________________________
4. PUBLIC PROGRAMS
Please summarize your programming efforts in a few sentences, characterizing your audience and scope of
programming.
Individual program descriptions (include Title, Format and Presenter for all programs; use extra paper if
necessary). Please provide a grand total for all program attendance at the end of this section.
1) ______________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Total attendance___________ Adults_________ YA________ Children________ School Groups________
2) ______________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Total attendance___________ Adults_________ YA________ Children________ School Groups________
3) ______________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Total attendance___________ Adults_________ YA________ Children________ School Groups________
4) ______________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Total attendance___________ Adults_________ YA________ Children________ School Groups________
5) ______________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________________________
Total attendance___________ Adults_________ YA________ Children________ School Groups________
Total number of programs ___________________ Total program attendance ___________________
65
Final Report—―Freedom Riders‖—page 2
5. ELEMENTARY AND HIGH SCHOOL INVOLVEMENT
Total number of students: Elementary_________________ H.S.___________________ visiting the exhibition
Total number of classes using Freedom riders materials in the curriculum: Elementary_____H.S.____________
(Include descriptions of programs for students under No. 4)
6. FUNDING (include sources and actual/in-kind amounts of support for any exhibition-related programs,
invitations, printing, events, etc):
Source: ___________________________________________________ Amount: ______________________
Source: ___________________________________________________ Amount: ______________________
Source: ___________________________________________________ Amount: ______________________
Total: ________________________________
7. PUBLICITY If your institution is an academic library, describe how you tried to attract public audiences from
outside your customary user group to exhibits and programs, and indicate whether or not you were successful.
Public libraries please describe the results of your publicity strategies for the exhibit.
8. PUBLICITY SAMPLES Please attach three copies of all institution-produced publicity pieces, including
posters and flyers, all newspaper articles, and other materials such as bibliographies, bookmarks, invitations, etc.;
copies of your ―Freedom Riders‖ Web pages; and captioned photographs taken at exhibition programs if you
have them.
9. COMMENTS ABOUT THE EXHIBITION Please identify source of comments, e.g., librarian, program
participant, presenter or partner organization. Comments are valuable in reports to funders about exhibitions, and
we appreciate your gathering them.
Submitted by: _____________________________________ Date: _________________________________
Phone: ___________________________________________ E-mail: _______________________________
Return this form and attachments within 30 days of the closing of the exhibition to:
The Gilder Lehrman Institute
Attn: Beth Huffer
19 West 44th Street, Suite 500
New York, NY 10036
Any questions, please call: (646) 366-9666 or e-mail [email protected]
NOTE: The Gilder Lehrman Institute sends e-mail acknowledgement of receipt of final reports to the person
submitting the report. If you do not receive this e-mail within 10 days of mailing your report, please contact
66
1. Each section of the exhibition is in its
own wheeled case. Each case is marked to
indentify the section number of the
exhibition.
2. To unpack, detach the four
clip and straps from traveling
case.
3. Lower case onto its side and
remove top.
*Please see the video instructions of the set up and dismantling of the exhibition,
found online at http://vimeo.com/20245443
*If there are any questions about the set up and/or dismantling process,
immediately call Beth Huffer, Coordinator of Exhibitions, at (646) 366-9666, ext. 38.
4. To remove panels, lift case and
gently walk them out.
Instructions for setting up the
exhibition
67
5. Slowly raise half of the
panels.
Look for the label
on the top of the
frames to identify
which panels to
lift.
7. Be sure that the top half
of the section is secured to
the bottom section. Note: if
panels do not stack evenly,
flip down and repeat
process.
8. Carefully open panels and
walk them out to desired
configuration. (A horseshoe
shape or a running ―W‖)
Instructions for Dismantling and repacking the exhibition:
1. To begin taking down the exhibition, close the panels together like an accordion.
2. Fold the top half of the unit down, making sure the hinges face out.
3. Carefully place the unit horizontally in the case.
4. When repacking, be careful to place the correct section into correct case.
5. Secure the top of the case by clipping the straps together.
6. Return closed case to upright position.
Cleaning Instructions:
Use a DRY cloth to wipe panels clean. DO NOT USE WATER, glass cleaner or any
other cleaning product.
6. Refer to images on back of each
panel for further clarification.
![Licensing MotorcycleRiders’ Handbookironbrothersmc.com/motors/[Riders' book]/Riders' handbook.pdf · MotorcycleRiders’ Handbook. Motorcycle Riders’ Handbook Learner Approved](https://img.pdfslide.us/doc/110x75/5a7801147f8b9ad22a8e985c/licensing-motorcycleriders-ha-riders-bookriders-handbookpdf-motorcycleriders.jpg)
