The Rides began in May 1961 when the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) decided to test a 1960 U. S. Supreme Court ruling that outlawed segregation in depot restaurants and restrooms serving interstate passengers.
Previously, CORE had organized a . . . — — Map (db m217406) HM
In Atlanta, the Riders separated into two integrated groups to board two different buses; the seven who were on the Greyhound bus destined for Anniston included:
• Albert Bigelow, 55 white male from Connecticut (a retired naval officer, . . . — — Map (db m217409) HM
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 . . . — — Map (db m217410) HM
The Alabama Knights of the Ku Klux Klan had known about the Freedom Ride since mid-April and had detailed information on the city-by-city itinerary, thanks to FBI memos forwarded to the Birmingham Police Department. In a series of secret meetings in . . . — — Map (db m217411) HM
Prelude: 12 p.m.- 12:54 p.m.
Just before this picture of the Greyhound Bus Depot at 1031 Gurnee (below left) was taken, approximately 75 men had gathered in front of it. They quickly dispersed as free-lance photographer for The Anniston Star, . . . — — Map (db m217412) HM
The Ambush: 12:54 p.m. - 1:10 p.m.
The silence didn't last long. Anniston Klansman William Chappell and a screaming mob of about 50 white men surrounded the bus. An 18-year-old Klansman, Roger Couch, lay on the pavement in front of the bus to . . . — — Map (db m217413) HM
Pursuit: 1:25 p.m. - 1:35 p.m.
Heading to Birmingham, the battered bus turned south on Gurnee from the station and west on 10th St. while men rushed to their cars to follow. Police escorted the bus to the city limits where they turned back, . . . — — Map (db m217416) HM
The violence reached a crescendo when a flaming bundle of rags was thrown into one of the broken windows. Within seconds, the bundle exploded, sending dark gray smoke throughout the bus.
Three of the Riders found open windows, dropping to the . . . — — Map (db m217417) HM
While the Riders awaited rescue, the bus continued to burn. The Anniston Fire Department extinguished the flames and administered oxygen. A state trooper called an ambulance, but it took Cowling to force the driver to carry the injured black Riders . . . — — Map (db m217419) HM
Rescue
Once there, all of the injured were treated at the urging of an FBI agent on the scene. In the meantime, the crowd outside the hospital grew larger and more menacing, with some Klansmen threatening to burn the building to the ground. At . . . — — Map (db m217420) HM
But the Ride didn't end. The national newspaper and television coverage of what had happened galvanized the Nashville Student Movement, which already had experience successfully challenging segregationist practices through lunch counter sit-ins, . . . — — Map (db m217421) HM
The most famous photograph of the Freedom Rides and one of the most iconic of the Civil Rights movement was taken by a freelance photographer for The Anniston Star. Joe Postiglione, called “Little Joe” by his friends, was tipped off by the Greyhound . . . — — Map (db m217422) HM
On May 11, 2011, 40 students who were retracing the route of the original Freedom Ride, arrived in Anniston. The student Freedom Ride was part of a promotion organized by WGBH/Boston, a member of the Public Broadcasting system. The goal was to . . . — — Map (db m217423) HM
