As your bus arrives for a brief stop in Anniston, the station is quiet. You get off and buy a few sandwiches at the lunch counter without any problems. Just before the bus pulls away for Birmingham, a gang of white men boards the bus. “Negroes get to the back where you belong!” the largest man shouts. No one moves.
One of the men pulls you out of your seat and begins to beat you. Other riders are also punched and kicked. Most of the riders are unconscious. The men drag the black riders to the back and the whites to the front. The bus driver then starts driving to Birmingham.
By the time the bus pulls into Birmingham, you have regained consciousness and try to gather strength for what waits at the station. The white men who attacked you jump off the bus.
James Peck was one of the Freedom Riders beaten at the Birmingham station.
As you enter the station, you start walking to the “wrong” waiting room. The crowd surrounds you. It’s all a blur as white men with chains, pipes, and bats chase and beat you.
You see another Freedom Rider fall down. You try to get over to him to help him up. Each time, you are knocked down again. Then, you look up and see the crowd running away. You and the other riders get up and check on each other. You’re bleeding and bruised, but alive. When the police arrive, they take you to a hospital.