Greyhound Restores Bus for 60th Anniversary of The Freedom Rides

To commemorate the sixtieth anniversary of the Freedom Rides, Greyhound is restoring a classic bus that was in service throughout the civil rights motion.

It was Could 4, 1961, when a gaggle of younger civil rights activists set out on buses to protest towards racial discrimination and segregation on public transportation. Now 60 years later, Greyhound unveiled a restored model of the classic bus that was used on the similar time the Freedom Rides passed off, NBC Information studies.

The restored bus was unveiled on the Alabama Historic Fee’s Freedom Rides Museum in Montgomery on Tuesday. The date coincided with the day the primary Freedom Riders left Washington, D.C. to journey to New Orleans by bus and protest towards segregation.

“As we rejoice the arrival of the restored Greyhound Bus and its symbolic illustration of the braveness of the Freedom Riders, we additionally commemorate the sixtieth anniversary of the rides and their impression on equal rights for all Individuals,” Alabama Historic Fee Chairman Eddie Griffith mentioned.

The younger activists had been attacked by indignant white mobs throughout their travels. However 13 members from the Congress of Racial Equality, together with John Lewis who went on to change into a Georgia congressman, continued on to unfold their message. The group’s mission was to get the U.S. authorities to implement the 1960 Boynton v. Virginia Supreme Court docket ruling the place it was deemed unconstitutional to segregate interstate transportation amenities, together with bus terminals.

Because the protestors continued to face assaults with none police involvement, the Freedom Riders obtained nationwide consideration. Extra younger activists joined the group to protest towards the blatant injustice. The motion led to President John F. Kennedy’s Interstate Commerce Fee which formally banned segregation in interstate transportation terminals.

The restored bus will stay as a everlasting exhibit on the Alabama museum situated on the Greyhound station the Freedom Riders arrived at 60 years in the past.

“Historical past occurred right here,” mentioned Lisa D. Jones, government director of the historic fee and the state historic preservation officer. “Preserving this place helps deliver to life a vital a part of the civil rights story, and the position Montgomery and the state of Alabama performed in it.”