You know being a Freedom Rider is dangerous, but you believe in the cause. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Reverend Ralph Abernathy, Diane Nash, and James Farmer planned the protests. The black riders will sit in the front of the bus, in the seats reserved for whites. The white riders will sit in the back. At each stop, the white riders will sit in the colored waiting rooms and use the colored restrooms. The black riders will sit in the whites-only waiting rooms and use the white restrooms.
Freedom Riders knew they were putting their lives at risk when they left Washington, D.C.
No matter what happens or how violent it gets, Freedom Riders must stay calm and not fight back. No one is sure what to expect. You know there’s a possibility you could be killed. Many of the other riders are making out wills and last letters to their families. You are not sure if you are ready to take part in the protests.