The Selection Process

The Selection Process. . CORE leadership solicited applicants for the Ride from outside the organization as well as CORE veterans. They tried to achieve a reasonably balanced mixture of black and white, young and old, religious and secular. The only deliberate imbalance was along gender lines; there were only two women on the first Ride., Each applicant was asked for a recommendation from a teacher, pastor, or co-worker and to write an essay outlining his or her commitment to nonviolence and the struggle for civil rights. Volunteers under the age of twenty-one also had to submit proof of parental permission., Thirteen Freedom Riders, representing an experienced and committed band of activists, met in Washington on May 1 for three days of intensive preparation and training in nonviolence. They were briefed on constitutional law, arrest procedures, and the white South. Their training also included "intense role-playing sessions" in which they experienced the full range of aggressive actions. They were knocked to the floor, had coffee poured on them, shoved, spit on, and called racial epithets. By May 3, all of the Riders were emotionally drained but bonded as family., On May 4, 1961, the Riders received last-minute instructions on seating arrangements since a careful seating plan was necessary for a proper test of the law. One black Rider was to sit in a seat ordinarily reserved for white passengers; an interracial pair of Riders was to sit in adjoining seats, and the rest scattered throughout the bus. The Riders adhered to a strict dress code – coats and ties for men, dresses and high heels for women. All the Riders were asked to represent the cause of social justice openly and honestly without resorting to needless provocative or confrontational behavior.