The uncovered mugshots and subsequent interviews with those arrested in jackson form the heart of etheridges 2008 book breach of peace. The aim was probably to assure that if the riders returned to the state, they could be run out on a rail, or perhaps blackmailed if they were later ashamed of their youth. Jul 08, 2014 the mississippi delta, named after the river that gives it life, stretches 200 miles long and 60 miles wide, covering 19 counties in the magnolia state. Freedom riders hit the road again, 50 years after us civil. Raymond arsenault shows how, in the summer of 1961, some four hundred and fifty courageous men and women took the struggle for racial justice in this country to a new level.
Their plan was to reach new orleans, louisiana, on may. In what author raymond arsenault calls the first historical study of the freedom rides, freedom riders. In this week in civil rights history, dred scott won his freedom, and alabama tries to shut down the naacp. Freedom riders arrested in jackson jerry mitchell, mississippi clarion ledger published 2. The freedom riders, then and now history smithsonian. Freedom riders mississippi 1961 breach peace portraits. Raymond arsenault, a professor of southern history at the university of south florida, saw the opportunity and felt the mandate to chronicle in scholarly and human detail the freedom rides of 1961 not a prelude to but an integral part of the civil. Portraits of the 1961 mississippi freedom riders book online at best prices in india on. Once they arrived in jackson, they were arrested for attempting to use white facilities, charged for trespassing and taken to parchman penitentiary as they refused to pay the fine.
Jan 12, 2006 in 1961, the freedom riders set out for the deep south to defy jim crow laws and call for change. Freedom riders were groups of white and african american civil rights activists who participated in freedom rides, bus trips through the american south in 1961 to protest segregated bus terminals. Roger wilkins, washington post book world arsenaults record of strategy. Breach of peace is a photohistory of the 1961 mississippi freedom riders. The freedom rider mug shots were collected by mississippi s state sovereignty commission, which was established to protect segregation in perpetuity. The program is composed of 40 college students from over 30 states, chosen by american experience, whose goal is to spark a national debate concerning the role of civic engagement in todays society.
Breach of peace is a book about the 1961 mississippi freedom riders, a photo history told in images old and new. Partial list of freedom riders as of the past weekend, the 72 negro and white persons arrested in jackson, mississippi as 11freedom riders 1 came from 29 cities and towns in 15 states and the district of columbia. The book, a collection of etheridges recent portraits of 80 freedom riders juxtaposed with mug shots from their arrests in 1961, includes interviews. Freedom ride is based on real life events in australia in 1965. Eric etheridge, who was born in 1957, grew up in carthage and jackson, mississippi. Freedom riders end racial segregation in southern u. In saying this, there was very little impact of the freedom rides in the south of america such as alabama as it was viewed as a challenge of authority. In the spring and summer of 1961, several hundred americansblack and white, male and female. How the 1961 freedom riders hijacked their mississippi.
The paperback edition features new portraits of 99 riders and the mug shots of all 329 riders arrested in jackson that year, along with excerpts of. The victims were james chaney from meridian, mississippi, and andrew goodman and michael. The kennedy administration found itself on the defensive. Please practice handwashing and social distancing, and check out our resources for adapting to these times. Jan 11, 2018 freedom riders were civil rights activists who rode interstate buses into the segregated southern united states, in 1961 and subsequent years, in order to challenge the nonenforcement of the. Some freedom riders left behind in montgomery were arrested for violating local segregation laws. Portraits of the 1961 mississippi freedom riders, an extended version of which is available now. David halberstam on the mississippi freedom riders, from my. Now eric etheridge, a veteran magazine editor, provides a visceral tribute to those road warriors in breach of peace. 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. The consolidation story, from civil rights to the jaguars deftly weaves an intricate narrative of the 1961 freedom rides, the civil rights.
The savage season of 1964 that made mississippi burn and. Prior to the involvement of national initiatives in the 1960s, such as the freedom rides, local people worked to bring an end to discrimination in their communities. The civil rights movement was a largely peaceful revolution, but a revolution nonetheless. Using hundreds of interviews and relentless research, arsenault shows what the freedom riders faced on those buses, in those jailhouses, and in the midst of frenzied mobs. Alabama plays a small role in breach of peace, etheridges book about what happened more than 50 years ago when freedom riders boarded buses bound for birmingham, ala. That being said, it is still very well written and is about an extremely important topic important, littleknown nonviolent civil rights movement in 1961 prior to some of the more publicized movements that would.
Ralph abernathy was a key figure in the civil rights movement of the 1960s and beyond. Parchman, mississippi state penitentiary ms civil rights. Portraits of the 1961 mississippi freedom riders by etheridge, eric and a great selection of related books, art and collectibles available now at. Murders of chaney, goodman, and schwerner wikipedia. May 23, 2008 a beautifullyproduced book that celebrates the freedom riders, featuring rareseen mug shots alongside stunning contemporary portraits. In may of 1961, a bus carrying fourteen black and white freedom riders arrived at a bus station in jackson, mississippi, where they were escorted and guarded by armed troops, sixteen patrol cars. A beautifullyproduced book that celebrates the freedom riders, featuring rareseen mug shots alongside stunning contemporary portraits the book, breach of peace. Breach of peace is a photohistory told in images old and new. Their journeys are captured in raymond arsenaults book, freedom riders. Book on freedom riders gave author window into history. The story of the civil rights movement interstate busing protest campaign.
In 1961, the congress of racial equality core, having recovered from organizational challenges of the 1950s, was eager to claim a central place in the burgeoning struggle in the south. The murders of chaney, goodman, and schwerner, also known as the freedom summer murders, the mississippi civil rights workers murders or the mississippi burning murders, involved three activists who were abducted and murdered in neshoba county, mississippi in june 1964 during the civil rights movement. It has a preface by roger wilkins and a foreword by diane mcwhorter. Twentyseven riders rode from montgomery, alabama to jackson on may 24, 1961. The book includes the mug shots of all 329 riders arrested in jackson that year, along with contemporary portraits and profiles of more than 90 riders. Freedom riders a documentary from american experience coming. Perhaps the most remarkable thing about this haunting and inspiring story is that for so long, so little had been organized to tell it. Newsouth books would like to commend the journey of the 2011 student freedom ride, which will mark the 50th anniversary of the freedom rides through the south. Portraits of the 1961 mississippi freedom riders atlas. A beautifullyproduced book that celebrates the freedom riders, featuring rareseen mug shots alongside stunning contemporary portraits. The book features the life stories of over 80 of the freedom. The latest edition contains all 329 mugshots and contemporary portraits of 99 riders.
One bus was disabled by ku klux klansmen, then firebombed. The story of the freedom riders was broadcast around the world. Breach of peace is a book about the 1961 mississippi freedom riders, a photohistory told in images old and new. In the southern states the discriminatory black codes and segregation policies of the jim crow laws restricted the rights of african americans, denying the right to vote and travel freely. The files, which went online in 2002, contained a complete set of the police mug shots taken of the socalled freedom riders, as the sovereignty commission referred to the three hundred and. In the spring and summer of 1961, they put their lives on the line, riding buses through the american south to challenge segregation in interstate transport.
With raymond arsenault, genevieve houghton, gordon carey, derek catsam. Freedom ride to mississippi 19601969 guardian century. During the freedom rides in 1961, freedom riders were arrested in jackson for challenging segregation on public buses. Portraits of the 1961 mississippi freedom riders by eric etheridge 2018, paperback at the best online prices at ebay. Freedom rides african american civil rights movement. The freedom riders were greeted with hostility, fear, and violence. May 03, 2011 freedom riders travel by bus from montgomery, ala. On may 4, 1961, civil rights activists later called freedom riders. At the time, most black southerners had been unable to register to vote, due to state constitutions, laws and practices that had effectively disfranchised. As soon as they got off the bus, they were immediately arrested. This report focuses upon 260 of the above noted 301. Among the important artifacts of this historic campaign are more than 300 mug shots taken of the freedom riders in jackson, now the subject of breach of peace.
They were black and white, young and old, men and women. The book includes the mug shots of all 329 freedom riders arrested in jackson. May 27, 2011 the freedom riders today at mississippi state penitentiary in parchman most of the 427 riders were students in their teens or early 20s, arriving from across america on the trains and buses, black. The second freedom riders movement was created in 1961 by jfk. Virginia 1960, which ruled that segregated public buses were unconstitutional. The original group of freedom riders seven african americans and six whitesleft washington, d. Freedom riders facts for kids the following fact sheet contains interesting facts and information on freedom riders. On 24 may the freedom riders continued on toward jackson, mississippi, where they were arrested when they tried to use the whiteonly facilities in the bus terminal. An exhibit at the mississippi civil rights museum displays the photos of freedom riders who were arrested in jackson, mississippi, on may 24, 1961. Kennedy addressed the voice of america claiming that great progress had been made on the issue of race relations, and that a person of color might one day be president of the united states. The freedom riders, as they came to be known, were determined to open up the south to civil rights. In the spring and summer of 1961, several hundred americans blacks and whites, men and women converged on jackson, mississippi, to challenge state segregation laws. In birmingham and montgomery, mobs of white supremacists swarmed the bus stations and battered the riders with fists and clubs while local police. The book, a collection of etheridges recent portraits of 80 freedom riders juxtaposed with mug shots from.
A beautifullyproduced book that celebrates the freedom riders, featuring rare seen mug shots alongside stunning contemporary portraits. On may 24, 1961 freedom riders continued their journey from montgomery to mississippi protected by the national guard and state police. In 1961 the freedom riders filled the jails in jackson, mississippi and helped end segregation in bus and train stations across the south. The essential writings and speeches of martin luther king jr. The book includes the mug shots of all 329 freedom riders arrested in jackson, mississippi, along with contemporary portraits of 99 riders, supplemented by interviews and brief bios. Jun 01, 2007 freedom riders is the definitive history of the 1961 freedom ride campaigns and one of the best books written about the civil rights struggle. Mississippi had pockets of strong local civil rights activity before the freedom riders entered the state, but their presence in 1961 propelled the local movement to new heights. Breach of peace portraits of the 1961 mississippi freedom riders authors. Freedom riders were civil rights activists who rode interstate buses into the segregated southern united states in 1961 and subsequent years to challenge the nonenforcement of the united states supreme court decisions morgan v. The book includes the mug shots of all 329 freedom riders arrested in jackson, mississippi, along with contemporary portraits of 99 riders, supplemented by. Jackson mississippi a dozen antisegregation freedom riders arrived here by bus today from montgomery, alabama, and were. Eric etheridge talked about his book breach of peace. The paperback edition features new portraits of 99 riders and the mug shots of all 329 riders arrested in jackson that year, along with excerpts of interviews with the featured riders. Portraits of the 1961 mississippi freedom riders atlas, may 23, 2008.
Firmly renouncing violence in the spirit of gandhi, they set the course of civil rights actions that followed. Kennedy was a politician who wanted to participate in the movement, thus creating the second series of this type of movement. Feb 15, 2017 the freedom ride movement began in 1961 with interstate buses driving into the deep south to challenge segregation that persisted despite recent court rulings. If to kill a mockingbird is a novel that should be read by every student in the usa in order to understand the racial history of their nation then freedom ride is the australian equivalent. Their efforts transformed the civil rights movement. The freedom riders, then and now history smithsonian magazine. Eric etheridge delivers an audiovisual presentation on the history of the mississippi freedom riders and talks about their accomplishments.
In the spring and summer of 1961, several hundred americansblacks and whites, men and womenconverged on jackson, mississippi, to challenge state segregation laws. May 15, 2018 50 years after their mug shots, portraits of mississippis freedom riders the journalist and photographer eric etheridge provides visual and oral histories of the courageous men and women known. Most of the local civil rights movements began in the 1950s, in churches, homes, and in the back rooms of small blackowned businesses across the state. The freedom riders helped inspire participation in other subsequent civil rights campaigns, including voter registration throughout the south, freedom schools, and the black power movement. Portraits of the 1961 mississippi freedom riders by eric etheridge online at alibris. The book details how volunteers both black and white traveled to mississippi and alabama to fight. Portraits of the 1961 mississippi freedom riders is a 2008 book by eric etheridge. Jackson mississippi a dozen antisegregation freedom riders arrived here. This book is an amazing account of the freedom riders college students who braved jail, beatings, and indeed their lives in the summer of 1961 to desegregate interstate bus travel. Jan 01, 2006 the activities of the freedom riders it does read more like a history text, or academic work, rather than an unfolding narrative. Freedom rides which focused on the interstate transportation facilities in jackson, mississippi. The book includes the mug shots of all 329 freedom riders arrested in jackson, mississippi, along with contemporary portraits of 99 riders, supplemented by interviews and. Demographicpolitical analysis of freedom riders, 1964. The book paints a harrowing account of the outpouring of hatred and violence that greeted the freedom riders in alabama and mississippi.
878 1486 874 282 263 1160 647 1129 783 902 1391 280 624 1421 1330 458 122 1259 1402 1278 984 957 571 942 1084 794 550 777 304 1442 1062 1382 920