may 2, 1961 - Freedom rides start (May 1961)

Description:

tried to end segregation in facilities serving interstate bus passengers; After sit-ins in S (1960);

White mob torched their bus near Anniston, AL (May 1961); Attorney General Robert Kennedy's personal rep beaten unconscious in another anti-Freedom Ride riot in Montgomery; S officials unwilling to stop violence → Wash dispatch fed marshals to protect this group

organized mixed-race groups who rode interstate buses deep into S to draw attention & protest racial segregation, started in 1961; involved participation of N young ppl & S activists was policial/public relations success of Civ Rights mvmt;

Added to timeline:

Date: