Freedom Riders Now Truly Free
Freedom Riders originated during the 1960s when civil rights activists rode interstate buses into the segregated southern United States and subsequent years to challenge the non-enforcement of the U.S. Supreme Court decisions Morgan v. Virginia (1946) and Boynton v. Virginia (1960), which ruled that segregated public buses were unconstitutional.
The original 13 Freedom Riders consisted of seven black and six white individuals, many associated with the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE). In 1961, the Freedom Riders traveled by bus through Alabama and Mississippi to challenge segregation at southern bus terminals. Their main goal was to bring national attention to the fact that the Supreme Court rulings were being disregarded.
The Freedom Riders, most of which were college students, wanted the whole nation to know exactly what was going on, and not just hear rumors about what happened in the South.
I take up this topic this week because two of the original 13 died on July 17, 2020 within hours of each other. C.T. Vivian, 95, and John Lewis, 80, died on the same day in Atlanta but were buried a week part so that both of their life’s work could be honored properly. As both were civil rights legends they were both Atlanta icons now gone just like Dr. Joseph Lowery who passed away in March at age of 98.
Each of these men contributed significantly to the civil rights advances of the 60s and 70s. And though Martin Luther King, Jr. is recognized as the pinnacle figure of American civil rights worldwide, there is no MLK without the support and works of the late C.T. Vivian, John Lewis, Joseph Lowery, Ralph Abernathy, Hosea Williams, and Connie Curry. All connected to the civil rights landscape just 30 miles north of Jasper County.
Vivian was a close friend and field lieutenant to MLK during the civil rights movement. He was an original Freedom Rider in 1961 and nearly lost his life following a beating and near drowning by a klansman in St. Augustine in 1964. The Missouri native moved to Atlanta in 1970. MLK once cited his friend as “the greatest preacher to ever live.” He created the Upward Bound program that enables students from low income backgrounds to attend college. The program has aided the likes of Oprah Winfrey, John Quinones, Angela Bassett, and Viola Davis.
Lewis was one of the first two Freedom Riders to board a bus in Mississippi at age 19. He was laid to rest last week after a six day tour around the Southeast. It began in Alabama, where he was born and marched with MLK, Vivian, Lowery, Abernathy across Edmund Pettis Bridge, which I hope will be renamed in his honor.
It was onto Washington, D.C where he again marched with the gang before speaking at the March on Washington in 1964 when MLK delivered his renowned “I Have A Dream Speech.” Washington is also where Lewis served 17 terms in the House of Representatives and for that honor his deceased body was the first person of color to lie in state in the nation’s Capitol.
Lewis’ tour ended in Atlanta with services at Ebenezer Baptist Church, where he was a member and MLK was a pastor. He was eulogized by a former president, Barack Obama, who received his endorsement in 2007 when he ran for office and credited his success to the footwork of Lewis.
Two other presidents, George Bush and Bill Clinton, also attended and shared public remarks as a fourth, Jimmy Carter, sent public condolences. Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House, also made the journey. The funeral was like a “Who’s Who” of politicos.
The six days may have seemed like a lot of trouble for the man who always endorsed “good trouble” but he packed a lot in his 80 earthly years so those six days were more than worth the effort.
Lowery helped found the Southern Christian Leadership Conference along with his friend and fellow minister MLK. He was known as the “Dean of the Civils Rights Movement.” I loved the ferocious passion that Dr. Lowery could bring to the room. I saw him many times in and around Atlanta, and in Monticello too.
He was a petite man that was larger than life with personality and humility. He always spoke deliberately with intention and his smile was infectious. He had a long, fruitful life and his “home going” celebration in March was meek but the family is planning a large scale celebration in honor of his 99th birthday this October.
During his eight years as president, Obama presented Vivian, Lewis and Lowery each with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian honor awarded.
2020 has seen the loss of many unexpectedly, largely due to Covid-19 which will likely keep claiming lives during these volatile times. But for me the demise of three civil rights icons thus far this year, longevity or not, is a great loss for our generation. I found it very refreshing that Lewis planned the publication of an op ed on the day of his burial encouraging the modern day Freedom Riders to push on.