ALABAMA – This coming week, the state of Alabama is commemorating the 1961 Freedom Rides, one of the pivotal moments in the fight to end segregation. The Alabama Historical Commision and Alabama Tourism Department are honoring them with a special event and educational program. Read on to learn how the two groups are remembering the 60th anniversary of the Freedom Rides.
To commemorate the first Freedom Ride coming from Tennessee in May, 1961, the Alabama Historical Commission (AHC) is retracing the Freedom Ride between Ardmore, Tennessee to Montgomery with a stop in Birmingham.
They will be using a restored vintage Greyhound bus that is part of the Freedom Rides Museum permanent collection in Montgomery to reenact the trip.
The Ardmore to Montgomery journey begins May 18 and ends in Montgomery at 10:23 AM on May 20th – the date and time the bus arrived in the city 60 years ago, where student Freedom Riders were met with violence.
The bus will arrive at the Freedom Rides Museum, a historic property of the Alabama Historical Commission.
The bus tour carries out the theme of the year-long commemoration of the 60th Anniversary of the Freedom Rides, “Retracing the Journey. Passing the Torch.”
