BLACK IN TIME: A Moment In OUR History
James L. Farmer, Jr.
CORE Co-Founder
Thirteen Members Of The Congress Of Racial Equality (CORE) Set Out On A Bus Ride From Washington, DC To New Orleans, On May 4, 1961.
The Civil Rights Activists Were Testing A 1960 Supreme Court Ruling That Expanded Anti-Discrimination Laws Covering Interstate Travel To Include Facilities Used By Travelers.
The Freedom Riders Entered Segregated Terminals, Waiting Rooms, Rest Rooms And Restaurants. They Were Harassed, Beaten And Arrested.
In Alabama, A White Mob Set Fire To The Lead Bus That The Freedom Riders Were Using. Twelve Activists Were Hospitalized. The Bus Was Destroyed.
By The Time They Were Arrested In Jackson, Mississippi, The Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee (SNCC), Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) And Nashville Student Movement Had Recruited And Prepared Over 300 Freedom Riders To Fill The Mississippi Jails. The NAACP Assisted In The Effort By Providing Legal Defense For The Activists.
CORE Was Founded By A Group Of Interracial Students, On The Campus Of The University Of Chicago, In 1942. The Group's Aim Was To Use Nonviolent/Ghandian Tactics To Fight Segregation.
Founding Members Included James L. Farmer, Jr., George Houser And Bernice Fisher. Bayard Rustin, Roy Innis And Murdered Civil Rights Activists, James Chaney, Andrew Goodman And Michael Schwerner Are Among The More Famous Names Affiliated With CORE Over The Years.
"In Order For Black History To Live, We Must Continue To Breathe Life Into It." -- Hubert Gaddy, Jr.
The BLACK IN TIME ONLINE RESOURCE CENTER
FOR BLACK HISTORY & CULTURE
Gaddy, what you're doing is a "good lesson" I agree with Irma.