Art exhibit commemorates attack on Freedom Riders


One of the most violent moments of the civil rights era occurred in Montgomery 50 years ago and today Alaba­ma State University is un­veiling a series of artistic de­pictions of what happened on May 20, 1961.

On that day, civil rights ac­tivists dubbed "Freedom Riders," were attacked at Montgomery's Greyhound Bus Station where angry whites assaulted them with baseball bats, chains, fists and whatever else they could get their hands on.

Local authorities were vir­tually non-existent during the attack, and the activists were saved from further beatings by Alabama Public Safety Director Floyd Mann who withdrew his gun and waded into the mob until the violence stopped.

Books have been written and documentaries have been shown on television about the incident, but ASU is presenting something unique today -- an artistic look at what occurred at the bus station half a century ago.

Presented by the National Center for the Study of Civil Rights and African-Ameri­can Culture, the paintings will have their debut this af­ternoon from 3 to 5 p.m. at the facility at 1345 Carter Hill Road. The exhibit con­tinues through May 31.

The exhibition, titled: "No Crystal Stair: A Climb to Freedom," features works by Arthur Bacon, Ricky Callo­way, Marcella Muhammad, Lee Ransaw and Charlotte Riley-Webb.

Presented in vivid colors, the paintings depict the vio­lence, the anger and the sor­row that resulted from a sem­inal moment in America's civil rights movement.

"The pieces in the exhibit honor the gallant contribu­tors to African-Americans' struggle for freedom by the Freedom Rides and by others who sought to force the na­tion to live up to its creed of justice and equality for all re­gardless of race," ASU spokesman Ken Mullinax said.

ASU graduate student Ro­lundus Rice, who is helping to promote the exhibit, said Saturday afternoon that it is one of several events that will be presented during the 50th anniversary of the bus station violence.

"These artists present a vivid, clear voice to what happened that day," he said. "It further galvanized public support for the movement, and we are pleased to invite the public to join us."

The riders were testing federal edicts prohibiting segregated bus seating and services in the South. The beatings they took woke the nation to incidents that only grew worse as the 1960s pro­gressed.

Assassinations of civil rights leaders including Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and Medgar Evers and the mur­ders of three civil rights ac­tivists in Alabama and Mis­sissippi led to arrests of Ku Klux Klansmen who were re­sponsible.

"I vividly remember the tumultuous times that led to the riots during the '60s, the demand for equality and leg­islative changes that many take for granted today," said Riley-Webb, who plans to be at the exhibit today.

After years of delays, the Greyhound Bus Station where the violence occurred is slowly being turned into a museum at 210 S. Court St.

A panel depicting various aspects of the incident at the bus station was unveiled a few years ago and work is continuing on the interior.

The building is owned by the U.S. General Services Administration while the Alabama Historical Com­mission has the lease and is working with local groups to help commemorate the event.