Stanley Nelson's superb documentary—broadcast on PBS' American Experience series—details one of the most significant chapters in the history of U.S. civil rights. The Freedom Riders movement began in 1961 under the auspices of the Congress for Racial Equality as black and white activists were recruited to challenge the segregation laws of the Jim Crow South, traveling by bus in racially mixed seating and using Southern dining and lodging establishments together. The first group of Freedom Riders was brutally assaulted by racist mobs in Alabama, after which another civil rights organization—the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee—created its own squad to travel the dangerous route. The Freedom Riders' efforts were initially greeted with hostility from Washington (Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy unsuccessfully tried to stop the SNCC attempt), and the reaction from Southern law enforcement and lawmakers was shameful. The Freedom Riders' campaign was so controversial that even Martin Luther King Jr. expressed concerns about joining them on their journey, despite his public support of their goals. Combining interviews with surviving Freedom Riders (and witnesses to their efforts) together with a powerful mix of rare (and often very disturbing) newsreel footage and photographs, this excellent production is highly recommended. Editor's Choice. Aud: H, C, P. (P. Hall)
Freedom Riders
(2011) 120 min. DVD: $24.99, Blu-ray: $29.99 ($54.95 each w/PPR). PBS Video. ISBN: 978-1-60883-401-3 (dvd), 978-1-60883-460-0 (blu-ray). Volume 26, Issue 4
Freedom Riders
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