As they tested the new Supreme Court ruling banning segregation in interstate travel, getting to Jackson was not a given. The Alabama National Guard escorted the bus to the state line, where eight Mississippi National Guardsmen boarded. From there, the Mississippi Highway Patrol escorted the bus along Highway 80 to Jackson. There, police officers awaited the bus at the Trailways terminal. White volunteers sat in the Black waiting area and Black volunteers sat in the White waiting area. When the volunteers refused to move, they were arrested and charged with “breach of peace.”
Pictured: A black and white photograph of three white volunteers leaving the Black waiting room at the Jackson bus terminal. There is a photographer bent down in the foreground. Behind him, the volunteers are walking while a news reporter stands to the right of them holding a camera and microphone.
Credit: AP/Bill Hudson
