Freedom Riders: Watch the Full Film
The story behind a courageous band of civil rights activists called the Freedom Riders who in 1961 creatively challenged segregation in the American South.
Running time: 1:53:00
Featured Videos
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The Movement
The Freedom Riders represented a cross-section of America – black and white, young and old, religious and secular. "The Freedom Rides were trying to say to America: we are a diverse country — let's act like a diverse country, where every part of the diversity is equal, and is treated equally,” says Freedom Rider Rabbi Israel Dresner.
Running time: 4:06
The Movement
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The Pioneers
In April 1947 sixteen men—eight black and eight white—boarded a bus in Washington, DC to test compliance with a recent Supreme Court ruling that outlawed segregation on interstate bus travel. Their effort blazed a trail for the Freedom Riders who followed in their footsteps nearly fifteen years later.
Running time: 3:05
The Pioneers
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The Student Leader
A student at Fisk University in Nashville, Diane Nash became the leader of the Nashville Student Movement. Fellow activists John Lewis, Ernest "Rip" Patton, Jr., Rev. James M. Lawson, Jr., and Julian Bond describe her commitment to nonviolence.
Running time: 4:47
The Student Leader
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The Governor
John Patterson, Governor of Alabama from 1958 to 1963, won election as a staunch segregationist. Patterson discusses his response to the Freedom Rides and his decision to refuse a phone call from President John F. Kennedy when the Freedom Riders encountered mob violence in Birmingham.
Running time: 4:42
The Governor
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The Strategy
In the decades after WWII, civil rights leaders relied on legal and legislative challenges to dismantle segregation. But in the early 1960s, activists impatient for change turned to a new strategy: non-violent direct action.
Running time: 4:58
The Strategy
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The Music
Group singing provided solace for Freedom Riders facing the constant threat of violence. It was also an effective political tool. "Without singing, we would have lost our sense of solidarity,” John Lewis says.
Running time: 5:04
The Music
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The Exchange Student
After deciding to participate in the Freedom Rides in May 1961, Jim Zwerg called his parents for support only to be told that he was “killing his father.” As a white Freedom Rider, Zwerg was among the first to be attacked and sustained severe injuries.
Running time: 4:57
The Exchange Student
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The Inspiration
Mahatma Gandhi's nonviolent movement to free India from British colonial rule inspired American civil rights activists who had immersed themselves in Gandhi's teachings and viewed non-violence as an effective way to challenge the tyranny of the Jim Crow South.
Running time: 3:29
The Inspiration
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The Tactic
Former civil rights activists raised in the South recount how their commitment to nonviolence was sorely tested by the extreme hostility and mob violence they encountered.
Running time: 5:06
The Tactic
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The Fresh Troops
Rev. James M. Lawson, Jr. trained future Freedom Riders in nonviolence during role-playing activities in Nashville, TN. Drawing upon this training, students worked to desegregate businesses in downtown Nashville.
Running time: 4:15
The Fresh Troops
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The Turning Point
The state of Mississippi's plan to bankrupt CORE backfired when, on August 14, 1961, all but nine of the Freedom Riders returned to Jackson for their arraignment.
Running time: 3:40
The Turning Point
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The Young Witness
Janie Forsyth McKinney was twelve years old when the Freedom Riders came through her hometown of Anniston, Alabama, on May 14, 1961. After local Klan members firebombed the bus, McKinney assisted injured riders.
Running time: 5:10
The Young Witness
Bonus Features
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Freedom Riders: Watch Preview
The story behind a courageous band of civil rights activists called the Freedom Riders who in 1961 creatively challenged segregation in the American South.
Running time: 2:16
Freedom Riders: Watch Preview
-
Freedom Riders: Watch the Full Film
The story behind a courageous band of civil rights activists called the Freedom Riders who in 1961 creatively challenged segregation in the American South.
Running time: 1:53:00
Freedom Riders: Watch the Full Film
