Robert F. Sibert Informational Book Award Winner
"An engaging and accessible account" for young readers about the
Freedom Riders who led the landmark 1961 protests against segregation on
buses (School Library Journal)
On May 4, 1961, a group of thirteen black and white civil rights
activists launched the Freedom Ride, aiming to challenge the practice of
segregation on buses and at bus terminal facilities in the South.
The Ride would last twelve days. Despite the fact that segregation on
buses crossing state lines was ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme
Court in 1946, and segregation in interstate transportation facilities
was ruled unconstitutional in 1960, these rulings were routinely ignored
in the South. The thirteen Freedom Riders intended to test the laws and
draw attention to the lack of enforcement with their peaceful protest.
As the Riders traveled deeper into the South, they encountered
increasing violence and opposition.
Noted civil rights author Larry Dane Brimner relies on archival
documents and rarely seen images to tell the riveting story of the
little-known first days of the Freedom Ride.