1961

On December 5, 1960, the Supreme Court ruled in Boynton v. Virginia that segregated facilities in terminals serving interstate passengers violated the Interstate Commerce Act. A year later, an interracial group of demonstrators, known as the Freedom Riders, tested the law by traveling on Greyhound and Trailways buses throughout the South, often facing violence and arrest at each terminal.

Pictured: A black and white photograph of eight Freedom Riders sitting in a police wagon to be escorted to jail. Several are smiling at the camera. C.T. Vivian sits in center right. John Lewis is fourth from left. 

Credit: AP/Fred Kaufman