a) Segregated Buses
The 1961 Freedom Riders aimed to challenge and desegregate segregated buses in the American South. These civil rights activists, both Black and White, rode interstate buses into the segregated southern United States to test and protest against segregated public transportation facilities. The Freedom Riders faced violent opposition, but their actions brought national attention to the issue and contributed to the enforcement of federal desegregation laws.
A mob of white people beat Freedom Riders in Birmingham. This picture was reclaimed by the FBI from a local journalist who also was beaten and whose camera was smashed.
Mugshots of Freedom Riders, as displayed at the Center for Civil and Human Rights in Atlanta, Georgia.