Representative John Lewis, who died on Friday at 80, was an imposing figure in American politics and the civil rights movement. Mr. Lewis, a Georgia Democrat, was among the original 13 Freedom Riders who rode buses across the South in 1961 to challenge segregation in public transportation. How did the Freedom Rides start? That movement was only moderately successful, but it led to the Freedom Rides of 1961, which forever changed the way Americans traveled between states. Image Freedom Riders at a bus station in Montgomery, Ala., in May 1961. Credit... Paul Schultzer/Time & Life Pictures — Getty ImagesThe Freedom Rides, which began in May 1961 and ended late that year, were organized by CORE’s national director, James Farmer.

Source: New York Times July 18, 2020 22:52 UTC