Freedom Riders Challenge Segregation on Southern Buses
The Freedom Riders boarded buses in Washington D.C. and drove straight into the heart of segregation, compelling Southern authorities to confront their violent resistance to desegregation. Their willingness to face firebombs and beatings galvanized federal intervention, directly leading President Kennedy to order the Interstate Commerce Commission to enforce desegregation on interstate travel within months.
May 4, 1961
65 years ago
Key Figures & Places
What Else Happened on May 4
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