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When the “Colored” and “Whites Only” signs came down, African American customers could use the same entrances, ticket windows, lunch counters, and restrooms once reserved only for whites. And they could sit in any available seat.
It was a major civil rights victory. One that ended racial segregation in highway bus, train, and air travel. Almost immediately, all across the south, people could see real change in their own home towns. Change that was the direct result of the 1961 Freedom Rides. The museum opened in Montgomery’s historic Greyhound Bus Station at 10:23 am on May 20, 2011. It was fifty years to the minute after 21 young Freedom Riders arrived at this station. Here they met a violent mob intent on maintaining segregation. News outlets around the world carried the story in 1961 and again in 2011 for the opening. |
The Alabama Historical Commission, a state agency, created and operates the museum. But state funding crises continue to slice the commission’s budget. The commission and the Friends of the Freedom Rides Museum have a committed partnership to bring the museum the audiences it deserves. We all believe this is a story and a place that must be shared.
The Alabama Historical Commission, a state agency, created and operates the museum. But state funding crises continue to slice the commission’s budget. The commission and the Friends of the Freedom Rides Museum have a committed partnership to bring the museum the audiences it deserves. We all believe this is a story and a place that must be shared.
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Contact the Freedom Rides Museum
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Visit the Freedom Rides Museum
Open Tuesday-Friday, 11am-4pm; Saturday, 10am-4pm.
Other times for groups of ten or more by appointment; call 334-414-8647. Closed all state holidays 210 South Court Street Montgomery, Alabama 36104 |