ROCKBURN PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, PRAYERS AND CONCERNS. REACHING OUT...PERSONAL GROWTH...COMMUNICATE
  • Welcome
    • A bit of history
  • What's up!
  • Praises and prayers...
    • Harley Bye
    • Nelson Weippert : celebration of his life
    • God's gifts
    • Slide show
    • Chenaniah, Rockburn Carolers
  • Youth
  • Services, recap and more...
  • Reach us!
  • Newsletters



Services, recap and more... 

Sunday of Pentecost ( 40 days after Easter)

5/27/2012

0 Comments

 
Picture
Freedom riders
by Hugh Wallis

(excerps by MC)

The "freedom riders" were a civil right movement that was pivotal. Some say its been going on for 30 years but it was going on in 1961 ( 50 years ago). ( Mr Wallis sang quite a few of their songs) .It was a peaceful demonstration. They were trained not to fidget nor to retaliate whatever happened. (CORE: congress of racial equality sponsered most of the bus rides)

Their goal was to end segregation like the white only waiting rooms. The Supreme court had held that racial segregation in public transportation was illegal because such segregation violated the Interstate Commerce Act, which broadly forbade discrimination in interstate passenger transportation, which included bus transportation.


The first freedom rides left Washington DC (led by the CORE director). When they got to Anniston, Alabama , they were attacked by a mob of Ku Klux Klan that forced the crippled bus to stop several miles outside of town and firebombed it. The mob jammed the doors so no-one could get out and they were going to let them burn to death . But then , the bomb opened a whole so the riders could get out. They did not fight back. The police were there but it had already been pre- arranged that they would not ido anything for 15 minutes . When the second bus arrived, The riders were beaten-up with baseball bats, brought to prison, the infamous Parchman Farm. They kept their spirit up in jail by singing freedom songs. Their music was in hudge part spiritual (Different religions). The guards were getting fed up and were trying to break their spirits buy taking away their mattress and tooth brush but the riders would keep on singing “There nothing you can do that will stop me” Well , I am on my way to the Freedom land” 


Before that first ride in 1961, there was a lot of preparation. There was Irene Morgan in 1944 who was beaten and jailed for refusing to give up her seat on the bus . She was an activist all her life. She went all the way to the the U.S. Supreme court and she won.
She inspired the 1947 Journey of reconciliation where activists drove on buses.


In 1955, Rosa Park, called the “mother of the civil movement”refused to leave her seat, and others followed in her footsteps that year.
The Kennedys called for a "cooling off period" and condemned the Rides as unpatriotic because they embarrassed the nation on the world stage at the height of the Cold War .


But the freedom riders answered “no way, we have been cooling off for 300 years., if we cool off any more, we will be in deep freeze”

“Oh' freedom”

“ We shall not be moved”

“The battle goes on”

The riders were fighters fighting in a different way.

With all the broken dreams, it is still a beautifull world!




0 Comments

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Please respect the work of all those who generously prepare texts and services for our Church.
    ​Do not copy without their authorization.
    Picture

    Previously:

    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    April 2021
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    March 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    December 2017
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    July 2017
    June 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    March 2017
    February 2017
    January 2017
    December 2016
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    April 2016
    March 2016
    February 2016
    January 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011

Proudly powered by Weebly
  • Welcome
    • A bit of history
  • What's up!
  • Praises and prayers...
    • Harley Bye
    • Nelson Weippert : celebration of his life
    • God's gifts
    • Slide show
    • Chenaniah, Rockburn Carolers
  • Youth
  • Services, recap and more...
  • Reach us!
  • Newsletters