The 50th Anniversary of the Freedom Rides: National Youth Summit

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The 50th Anniversary of the Freedom Rides: National Youth Summit

From May until November 1961, more than 400 diverse and committed Americans rode south together on buses and trains, putting their bodies and freedom on the line to challenge the Jim Crow laws that enforced racial injustice and inequality in public transportation. These Freedom Rides changed the Civil Rights movement and demonstrated the power of individual action to change the nation. Today, middle and high school students across the country join together electronically for a National Youth Summit on the Freedom Rides and activism. Freedom Rides veterans Congressman John Lewis (D-GA), Diane Nash, Jim Zwerg, and Reverend James Lawson share how they became involved in the Freedom Rides and how their lives were affected by them. They join filmmaker Stanley Nelson (Freedom Riders) and scholar Raymond Arsenault to discuss the meaning of the Freedom Rides and the role of young people in shaping America's past and future. Students are encouraged to participate in the discussion through email (nmahweb@si.edu), Facebook, Twitter, and the conference portal, and are asked to think about themselves as makers of history. Presented by the National Museum of American History, the National Museum of African American History and Culture, and the National Endowment for the Humanities, in collaboration with Smithsonian Affiliations and American Experience/WGBH. Additional support generously provided by Booz Allen Hamilton.

1 hr 38 min 28 sec

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