Image above: Photo of the unveiling of the official sign at the dedication ceremony for the Freedom Riders National Monument, 2017. Courtesy National Park Service.
Spotlight on Lesser Known History
Freedom Riders
National Monument, Alabama
America's Best History Spotlight
On this page we're going to Spotlight the lesser known historic sites and attractions that dot the history landscape across the USA and are worth a visit if you're in their area. And while they may be lesser known, some are very unique, and will be that rare find. You'll be, at times, on the ground floor, or maybe even know something others don't. It'll be fun. Visit them.
Freedom Riders National Monument, Alabama
The movement had been started, or at least inspired by the famous statement by Rosa Parks on December 21, 1956 when she boarded that Montgomery bus, as to the rights of African Americans to ride transportation wherever they wanted and to sit where they liked. Of course, the entire Civil Rights Movement was much larger than that. But for the Freedom Riders, black and white, who attempted to ride a bus out of the Anniston Greyhound Bus Station on May 14, 1961, it was a fight for survival. An angry mob of rascist separatists, including the Klu Klux Klan, slashed its tires, broke its windows, and threatened the passengers. When police intervened, the bus was allowed to leave. However, the mob followed, catching up to them on Old Birmingham Highway south of town. There, the tires gave out and forced the bus to stop. Flaming rags were thrown inside, and the bus exploded. Today, the growing National Monument tells its story, as photographer Joe Pestiglione did back in 1961, sending his photos to newspapers around the country and focusing light on the Civil Rights struggles, agregious and compelling, to those around the nation. The National Monument was established by President Barack Obama in 2017.
Photo above: Greyhound Bus station in Anniston, Alabama, one of the sites of the Freedom Riders National Monument. Courtesy National Park Service.
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Info, What's There Now, History Nearby
Freedom Riders National Monument, Alabama
This battle on a bus in May of 1961 was just one of many struggles throughout the south and north as separatists fought for segregation in policy and practice. In Anniston, there is a nine stop tour of other sites associated with the Freedom Riders and other Civil Rights events, including the Anniston Memorial Hospital and the Trailways Station. You can download or print the tour at Anniston Civil Rights and Heritage Tour.
Image above: Attack by white racists on the Freedom Riders, May 14, 1961 in Birmingham, Alabama, 1961, FBI. Courtesy Wikipedia Commons. Below: Postcard of the Tri-State Trailways Bus Terminal in Jackson, Mississippi, circa 1940's. Courtesy Wikipedia Commons.
Where Is It
Anniston, Alabama is located in northeast Alabama not far from the Georgia border. It is located about one and one half hour west of Atlanta, Georgia, and slightly over an hour east of Birmingham, Alabama. The temporary visitor center at the Calhoun County Chamber of Commerce is located at 1330 Quintard Ave., Anniston, AL 36201. Your GPS ought to be able to get you there.
What is There Now
Freedom Fighters National Monument
The monument is a work in progress with several sites to see, mostly on a self-guided auto tour. The temporary Visitor Center is located at the Calhoun County Chamber of Commerce, 1330 Quintard Ave., Anniston, AL 36201. You should start your visit there. The Greyhound Bus Station, located at 1031 Gurnee Street, is open by appointment only or when park staff is available. The park is less than eight acres in size, but is bound to grow as the management plan takes place and other important sites are added to the monument. There is a nine stop Anniston Civil Rights and Heritage Trail that you can take to sights association with the Civil Rights struggle in Anniston.
When Open and How Much
Free. Temporary Visitor Center is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. There are a lot of small Civil Rights sites and markers throughout Alabama that are associated with the Freedom Riders movement. It was certainly not confined to Anniston. Ask at the Visitor Center about other sites to visit on the topic.
Fees and hours are subject to change.
Websites
Freedom Riders National Monument
Calhoun County Chamber of Commerce
History Nearby
Photos, History, and More Spotlights
Freedom Riders History
The Freedom Riders movement began in 1961 when the Federal Government refused to apply the decisions in the U.S. Supreme Court; Morgan v. Virginia (1946), and Boynton v. Virginia (1960), that ruled against segregated public buses. They were unconstitutional. But with the non-enforcement of the decision, the initial Freedom Riders act occurred on May 4, 1961, riding a bus from Washington, D.C. to New Orleans, both white and black Civil Rights activists sitting amongst each other. The problems mostly occurred in the South, and once the Freedom Riders were there, including others who would join, they challenged the system in town after town to prove the Supreme Court decisions should be adhered to and their actions were to force them onto Southern separatists.
The fight was not an easy one. Local officials would allow their rascist brethren to physically harm the Freedom Riders and/or arrest them for unlawful assembly, trespassing, or violating local Jim Crow laws. Over three hundred riders would be arrested. The original ride had little trouble driving through the Southern states until they reached Alabama. There, in Anniston, the bus incident and burning occurred. There were two buses in the caravan. The second bus encountered violence by Klu Klux Klan members in Birmingham.
The mob intended to force the Freedom Riders to stay inside the disabled bus and kill them, but, while the reason for their escape is inconclusive, they did escape the bus to safety.
Photo above: Historic Alabama marker denoting the site of the bus attack and burning south of Anniston on Old Birmingham Highway, Alabama, 2017, Ser Amantio di Nicolao. Courtesy Wikipedia Commons C.C. 4.0
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Outcomes of the Rides
Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy looked at the violence against the Freedom Riders as intolerable. He issued an order through the Interstate Commerce Commission on November 1, 1961, that all waiting rooms, and lunch counters, not only the buses, would no longer be segregated. While that law did not stop all of the acts by the segregationists, it did curb them.
Image above: Freedom Rider Bill Harbour, 2017. Student at State University, 19, during the event. Courtesy National Park Service.
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Other Freedom Rides
April 9-23, 1947 - Journey of Reconciliation, Trailways and Greyhound, from Washington, D.C. to Washington, D.C.
April 22, 1961 - Little Freedom Ride, East St. Louis, Illinois to Sikeston, Missouri.
May 17–21, 1961 - Nashville Student Movement Freedom Ride, Birmingham, Alabama to New Orleans, Louisiana.
May 24–25, 1961 - Connecticut Freedom Ride, Greyhound, Atlanta, Georgia to Montgomery, Alabama.
Other rides occured all over the country; from New Jersey, St. Louis, Los Angeles, and Washington, D.C. They would arrive at southern destinations from Tallahassee and St. Petersburg in Florida; Little Rock, Arkansas; Houston, Texas; Monroe, North Carolina; Jackson and McComb, Mississippi; and Albany, Georgia.
Photo above: Photo of Freedom Rider Rip Patton, student at Tennessee State University, 21, when joining the Freedom Riders, talking to a National Park Service administrator at the dedication ceremony, 2017. Courtesy National Park Service.
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