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WEDU Encourages the Public to Get on the Bus to Mark the 50th Anniversary of the Freedom Rides

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The self-proclaimed Freedom Ridersembarked on the rides knowing the danger, but firmly committed to the ideals of non-violent protest, and aware that their actions could provoke a savage response but willing to put their lives on the line

for the cause of justice.

TAMPA – From May until November 1961, more than 400 black and white Americans risked their lives–and many endured savage beatings and imprisonment–for simply traveling together on buses and trains as they journeyed through the Deep South. Deliberately violating Jim Crow laws, the Freedom Riders’ belief in non-violent activism was sorely tested as mob violence and bitter racism greeted them along the way.

From award-winning filmmaker Stanley Nelson comes Freedom Riders, the powerful, harrowing and ultimately inspirational story of six months in 1961 that changed America forever. WEDU will bring the spirit of this film to life during a free event and premiere screening of Freedom Riders at The Tampa Theatre on Wednesday, April 13, at 7 pm.

The self-proclaimed Freedom Riders came from all strata of American society–black and white, young and old, male and female, northern and southern. They embarked on the rides knowing the danger, but firmly committed to the ideals of non-violent protest, and aware that their actions could provoke a savage response but willing to put their lives on the line for the cause of justice.

The film features testimony from a fascinating cast of central characters: the Riders themselves, state and federal government officials, and journalists who witnessed the rides firsthand.

During this exclusive WEDU event, attendees will have the opportunity to meet several of the original Freedom Riders and Dr. Ray Arsenault, author of Freedom Riders: 1961 and the Struggle for Racial Justice, on which the film is partially based.

The film features testimony from a fascinating cast of central characters: the Riders themselves, state and federal government officials, and journalists who witnessed the rides firsthand.

”It became clear that the civil rights leaders had to do something desperate, something dramatic to get Kennedy’s attention. That was the idea behind the Freedom Rides–to dare the federal government to do what it was supposed to do, and see if their constitutional rights would be protected by the Kennedy administration,“ explains Dr. Arsenault, the John Hope Franklin Professor of Southern History and Program Advisor of  the Florida Studies Program at the University of South Florida in St. Petersburg.

A specialist in the political, social and environmental history of the American South, Dr. Arsenualt will moderate a panel discussion with local Freedom Riders following the screening the 90-minute film.

”The people that took a seat on these buses, that went to jail in Jackson, that went to Parchman, they were never the same. We had moments there to learn, to teach each other the way of nonviolence, the way of love, the way of peace. The Freedom Ride created an unbelievable sense: Yes, we will make it. Yes, we will survive. And that nothing, but nothing, was going to stop this movement,“ recalls Congressman John Lewis, one of the original Freedom Riders.

The WEDU Get on the Bus event is free to the public, and tickets are not required for the 7 p.m. screening,  sponsored in part by HART and The Tampa Theatre. Dr. Arsenault will have his book available for purchase, and he and several Freedom Riders will be participating in a pre-screening  reception at 6 p.m.. The reception has limited availability and requires that reservations be made at wedu.org/freedomriders. Named One of America's 21 Wonders by LIFE Magazine, The Tampa Theatre is located at 711 N. Franklin Street (Tampa). Street parking is free after 6 pm - or get on the bus!

Freedom Riders premieres on WEDU,Monday, May 16 at 9:00 p.m. as part of the PBS series American Experience.

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