Freedom Riders National Monument
Freedom Riders National Monument
In 1961, a small interracial band of Freedom Riders challenged discriminatory laws requiring separation of the races in interstate travel.
They were attacked by white segregationists, who firebombed the bus. Images of the attack appeared in hundreds of newspapers, shocking the American public and spurring the Federal Government to issue regulations banning segregation in interstate travel.
In January 2017, President Obama designated the Freedom Riders National Monument in Anniston.