AAAA Recognizes the 50th Anniversary of the Freedom Rides at the Summit

AAAA RECOGNIZES THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FREEDOM RIDES AT THE AAAA SUMMIT

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50th Anniversary of the First Freedom Ride: New Documentary Recounts Historic 1961 Effort to Challenge Segregated Bus System in the Deep South

AlterNet
Democracy Now: It was 50 years ago today, on May 4, 1961, when mixed groups of black and white students took two public buses from Washington, D.C., and intended to arrive in New Orleans two weeks later. They were risking their lives to challenge segregation, and called themselves the “Freedom Riders.” President Obama has issued a proclamation honoring May 2011 as the 50th anniversary of the Freedom Rides, and called on Americans to celebrate their struggle for equal rights during the civil rights movement. At last year’s Sundance Film Festival, we spoke to Stanley Nelson about his new documentary, which tells the story of what happened to these brave students and how they inspired hundreds of others to join the Freedom Rides and eventually succeed in desegregating public transportation. We also speak to two Freedom Riders featured in the film, Bernard Lafayette and Jim Zwerg. Freedom Riders will air on PBS’s American Experience on May 16. Video and full transcript below.

Full Story: http://www.alternet.org/newsandviews/article/578582/50th_anniversary_of_the_first_freedom_ride%3A_new_documentary_recounts_historic_1961_effort_to_challenge_segregated_bus_system_in_the_deep_south/#paragraph2

Presidential Proclamation--50th Anniversary of the Freedom Rides

Office of the Press Secretary
For Immediate Release

The White House
May 03, 2011
Presidential Proclamation--50th Anniversary of the Freedom Rides
A Proclamation

Fifty years ago, America was struggling to implement the ideals of justice and equality set forth in our founding. The Freedom Rides, organized in the spring of 1961, were an interracial, nonviolent effort to protest the practice of segregation. Setting out from Washington, D.C., on May 4, 1961, the Freedom Riders sought to actualize the decision in Boynton v. Virginia, which held that interstate passengers had a right to be served without discrimination, and to challenge the enforcement of local segregation laws and practices.
The Freedom Rides, organized by the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), and other devoted advocates, built upon the boycotts and sit‑ins that were defying Jim Crow segregation across the South. The Freedom Riders themselves were black and white, often students and young people, and committed to the cause of nonviolent resistance. Along the way, buses were attacked and men and women were intimidated, arrested, and brutally beaten. The publicity generated by the courageous Freedom Riders as they faced continued violence and complicit local police drew the attention of the Kennedy Administration and Americans across our country.
Through their defiant journeys, the Freedom Riders sent a resounding message to the rest of our Nation that desegregation was a moral imperative. The Freedom Riders also motivated and mobilized the next generation of civil rights leaders. The unflinching bravery and unyielding commitment of the Freedom Riders inspired many of those involved to become lifelong activists, organizers, and leaders in the civil rights movement.
Today, we remember the Freedom Riders for the sacrifices they made in pursuit of the rights we now enjoy. They showed that people working together across backgrounds and boundaries could hold America accountable to our highest ideals and bend the arc of history towards justice. They showed that young people have the power to generate a movement for equality and steer the course of our Nation. Because of their efforts, and the work of those who marched and stood against injustice, we live in a country where all Americans have the right to dream and choose their own destiny.
NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the United States of America, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim May 2011 as the 50th Anniversary of the Freedom Rides. I call upon all Americans to participate in ceremonies and activities that honor the Freedom Riders and all those who struggled for equal rights during the civil rights movement.
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this third day of May, in the year of our Lord two thousand eleven, and of the Independence of the United States of America the two hundred and thirty-fifth.

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/05/03/presidential-proclamation-50th-anniversary-freedom-rides