Charles Person
The Freedom rides played an important role in the development of the Civil Rights Movements in the United States. Several people were involved because they believed that every citizen regardless of race, creed or color should have equal access to public transportation. A young man in the person of Charles Person and others believed that the laws were unfair and unconstitutional, so they decided to protest and started a movement that was referred to as; The Freedom Riders. A freedom rider is a person who challenged racial laws in the American south in the 1960’s. The name originated from several people that refused to abide by the laws stipulating that seating in buses be segregated by race. On May 4th -8th ,1961 thirteen …show more content…
Person’s wounds were dressed by a nurse who was a member of a local Baptist Church where the riders stayed that night. (Bennett). Person and other riders were struck and beaten inside the bus terminal in Birmingham. Bergman, a dedicated member of CORE was beaten so bad that he suffered a stroke that left him in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. Person sustained a hit that left a large knot on the back of his head which was a reminder of the Freedom Rides that he carried with him for over for 35 years before finally having it removed. “The aggressors were equally as persistent; they blocked the doors, broke the windows in, and threw in smoke bombs.”(Interview). They even set fire to the fuel tanks of the buses, but fortunately, the riders were able to get off the buses without injury. Person, who is still alive today at the age of 56 still have constant break downs remembering what happened on those rides. The painful memories of what they endured in the summer of 1961 are still fresh in their minds and has led to bouts of depression and nightmares for most of them. In May, 2011, the Freedom Riders celebrated fifty years and believes their work was not in vain, but they realize that there is still work to be done in order to eliminate bias and unfair conditions that affects minorities in this country. The riders that are still alive today are not bitter …show more content…
Freedom Riders: 1961 and the Struggle for Racial Justice. Oxford University Press, 2006.
Bennett, Kitty. Charles Person Was on Freedom Riders Bus 50 Years Ago. He helped end segregation on public transportation by, AARP Bulletin, 4 May 4 2011. http://www.aarp.org/politics-society/history/info-05-2011/freedom-riders-charles- person.html
Freedom Riders (A Documentary on Nonviolent Civil Right ... http://www.youtube.com/watch= 66kqSG6aHI
Interview: Charles Person 2012. Originally published in The Nation's Longest Struggle: Looking Back on the Modern Civil Rights Movement by the D.C. Everest school system of Wisconsin. http://www.crmvet.org/nars/person12.htm
Johnson Publishing Company. Biography: Charles Person Freedom Rider Atlanta, GA http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/freedomriders/people/charles-person
Tuck, Angela. 50 years later, Freedom Rides still resonate. “Atlanta Journal Constitution.” 2 May 2011.
The Freedom rides played an important role in the development of the Civil Rights Movements in the United States. Several people were involved because they believed that every citizen regardless of race, creed or color should have equal access to public transportation. A young man in the person of Charles Person and others believed that the laws were unfair and unconstitutional, so they decided to protest and started a movement that was referred to as; The Freedom Riders. A freedom rider is a person who challenged racial laws in the American south in the 1960’s. The name originated from several people that refused to abide by the laws stipulating that seating in buses be segregated by race. On May 4th -8th ,1961 thirteen …show more content…
Person’s wounds were dressed by a nurse who was a member of a local Baptist Church where the riders stayed that night. (Bennett). Person and other riders were struck and beaten inside the bus terminal in Birmingham. Bergman, a dedicated member of CORE was beaten so bad that he suffered a stroke that left him in a wheelchair for the rest of his life. Person sustained a hit that left a large knot on the back of his head which was a reminder of the Freedom Rides that he carried with him for over for 35 years before finally having it removed. “The aggressors were equally as persistent; they blocked the doors, broke the windows in, and threw in smoke bombs.”(Interview). They even set fire to the fuel tanks of the buses, but fortunately, the riders were able to get off the buses without injury. Person, who is still alive today at the age of 56 still have constant break downs remembering what happened on those rides. The painful memories of what they endured in the summer of 1961 are still fresh in their minds and has led to bouts of depression and nightmares for most of them. In May, 2011, the Freedom Riders celebrated fifty years and believes their work was not in vain, but they realize that there is still work to be done in order to eliminate bias and unfair conditions that affects minorities in this country. The riders that are still alive today are not bitter …show more content…
Freedom Riders: 1961 and the Struggle for Racial Justice. Oxford University Press, 2006.
Bennett, Kitty. Charles Person Was on Freedom Riders Bus 50 Years Ago. He helped end segregation on public transportation by, AARP Bulletin, 4 May 4 2011. http://www.aarp.org/politics-society/history/info-05-2011/freedom-riders-charles- person.html
Freedom Riders (A Documentary on Nonviolent Civil Right ... http://www.youtube.com/watch= 66kqSG6aHI
Interview: Charles Person 2012. Originally published in The Nation's Longest Struggle: Looking Back on the Modern Civil Rights Movement by the D.C. Everest school system of Wisconsin. http://www.crmvet.org/nars/person12.htm
Johnson Publishing Company. Biography: Charles Person Freedom Rider Atlanta, GA http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/freedomriders/people/charles-person
Tuck, Angela. 50 years later, Freedom Rides still resonate. “Atlanta Journal Constitution.” 2 May 2011.