Freedom Riders Exhibit at Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee - Encircle Photos

15 Freedom Riders Exhibit at Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee

Another exhibit at the National Civil Rights Museum chronicles the Freedom Riders. About 400 white and black activists rode buses throughout the Jim Crow South in 1961. They were protesting against separate transportation seating plus segregated restrooms and lunch counters at bus terminals. They were often challenged by angry white groups. The crescendo occurred in Anniston, Alabama. On May 14, 1961, a mob of whites cornered a Greyhound bus and threw a bomb inside causing the fuel tank to rupture. At first, they tried to trap the passengers inside. They then beat the protestors with pipes as they escaped. This burned-out hull is a replica of that horrific event. Interestingly, John Lewis, who served 17 terms in the U.S. House of Representatives until his death in 2020, was one of the original 13 Freedom Riders.

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Freedom Riders Exhibit at Civil Rights Museum in Memphis, Tennessee

450 Mulberry St, Memphis, TN 38103

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