After Freedom Riders barely escaped death, new activists poured into the South for months
Listen now
Description
In 1961, Hank Thomas barely escaped death attempting to integrate interstate travel accommodations. The struggle galvanized civil rights activists across the South.
The Freedom Ride movement almost ended in Alabama on May 14, 1961, when Hank Thomas and six other Riders nearly died on a bus that white supremacists set on fire in rural Alabama, where the Ku Klux Klan reigned.
Podcast transcript available here
Hank Thomas shares the story of how the Riders' journey descended into hours of vicious violence in Alabama.
After Hank and his fellow Freedom Riders were viciously attacked, new Riders poured into the South for months, risking everything to force the country to face the hateful actions upholding unlawful, racist practices.
The “Seven Days of 1961” podcast features stories of resistance, told by the people who lived it. Learn more about the heroic civil rights activists and the danger they faced at 7daysof1961.usatoday.com.
More Episodes
In 1961, Black college students fought segregation. Four years later, their Supreme Court case secured First Amendment rights for future protesters.
Sylvia Copper was a freshman at Southern University when she was suspended for her participation in the historic protest. She knew the risks...
Published 12/07/21
Published 12/07/21
On Nov. 11, 1961, hundreds of Black and white college students from across the Northeast flocked to Baltimore and Annapolis to conduct sit-ins, aiming to draw attention to segregated restaurants along one of the nation’s most popular travel routes. Frustrated by what they saw as a tepid federal...
Published 11/30/21
Artwork or description wrong?
Request an update »
Updates may take a few minutes.
Do you host a podcast?
Track your ranks and reviews from Spotify, Apple Podcasts and more.
See hourly chart positions and more than 30 days of history.
Get Chartable Analytics »
See hourly chart positions and more than 30 days of history.
