1961 Freedom Riders 40^th Reunion

Jackson, Mississippi, Veterans Day Weekend, November 8-11, 2001

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240 Chattanooga Street, Suite 24, San Francisco, CA 94114

Tel:/Fax: (415) 285-1655/1645, author@best.com

PRESS RELEASE

Contact:                 David Lisker, 888-242-5415

Carol Ruth Silver, 800-815-8103

Alex Dolan, 415-543-0143

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

1961 Landmark Civil Rights Movement Comes Together Again

SEARCH FOR THE FREEDOM RIDERS

Where are they now?

JACKSON, MI — August 1st, 2001 — Forty Years after the 400 Freedom Riders rode in buses down to Jackson, the civil rights pioneers will be making the trip again. A reunion of the 1961 Freedom Riders will bring together the men and women responsible for taking one of the first and greatest stands against segregation in the United States. Currently, the greatest challenge facing the reunion is tracking down everyone who rode to Jackson in 1961.

"The reunion of the 1961 Freedom Riders in November promises to one of the great chapters of the Civil Rights Movement," says Carol Ruth Silver, one of the Freedom Riders and the Reunion Chair. "We have already been able to locate over 100 Freedom Riders, but the real trick will be to find everyone after 40 years. This is a historic moment for civil rights, and we don't want to leave anyone out, so it's crucial that we do what we can to find everybody who was a part of the original movement."

In the spring of 1961, 400 men and women, both black and white, many of them university students from the North, boarded buses, trains and planes bound for the still segregated South. They had a collective goal of testing the enforcement of a Supreme Court ruling that outlawed segregation at interstate public facilities. On  their historic journey to the South, the Freedom Riders endured mob violence, and some 350 of the 400 Freedom Riders were arrested in Jackson on “breach of peace” charges.

What will the Freedom Riders find in Jackson after 40 years? The President of the Jackson City Council has promised them “a much warmer welcome than the last time they were in Jackson.”  A welcome change, considering many of them had to sign agreements in 1961 promising never again to return to Mississippi.

Silver comments, "After 40 years, the return of the Freedom Riders to Jackson is a reminder to everyone across the country that the issues of racism and civil rights are as important now as they were then. It is also a chance to acknowledge that the risks that these men and women took were instrumental in making some positive changes in our culture. We want to be able to thank the people who had the courage to face the hatred and violence, and tell them that it was worth it."

For information on the 1961 Freedom Riders 40^th Reunion, visit the web at www.freedomridersfoundation.com or call 1-888-242-5415. The reunion is also seeking funders to play a critical role in making the November event happen.  Please call or email to see how you can get involved. 

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