Freedom Rides Museum

in 1941 President Franklin Roosevelt signed Executive Order 8802 banning discrimination in defense industries receiving government contracts. This was after hundreds of thousands of white Americans were hired by industries in anticipation of the US entry into WWII. A. Phillip Randolph, a prominent Black union organizer and civil rights activist, threatened a march on Washington if African-American men were not considered equally for employment in these industries. The executive order established the Fair Employment Practices Committee (FEPC) to investigate complaints of discrimination in hiring practices. Though the executive order did not go as far as Randolph had hoped, he agreed to cancel the planned march on Washington. Though scrapped in the planning stages, it would serve as the model for the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom in which Randolph was a prominent organizer and participant.

The image seen here was a propaganda image in favor of the equal employment rights which the FEPC investigated.

It’s ! We are continuing our theme of protest songs in modern music with “Blackbird” by the Beatles. Written by the songwriting team of John Lennon and Paul McCartney, the song was released on “The White Album” in November of 1968. The song features only an acoustic guitar and McCartney’s vocals along with his tapping foot keeping time.

The lyrics speak of a blackbird with broken wings who wishes all his life to rise up and fly. McCartney has said that the inspiration for the song came after he learned of the riots surrounding the Little Rock Nine. He states that “Black girl” is supposed to replace “Blackbird” in the song and that it is supposed to be representative of the struggle of Black people in the Southern United States during that time. Although immensely popular and considered one of The Beatles best songs, it was never released as a single and therefore, did not chart in the 1960s. However it has been covered by the likes of Crosby, Stills and Nash, Dave Grohl, the cast of “Glee”, and Beyonce to name a few. The Beyonce cover reached #27 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart making it the highest charting cover to date. You can listen to the original here: https://youtu.be/Man4Xw8Xypo?si=F3_XVRNrcMsrp6iJ

It’s and today we are spotlighting Donna Garde! Garde was born on December 29, 1935 in Middletown, CT. Donna joined the Rides at the age of 25. At that time she was an elementary teacher in NJ and a graduate of Syracuse University. Donna traveled by Greyhound with 3 other Riders from Nashville to Jackson, MS on July 21, 1961. When they arrived, they were all charged with “breach of peace” and sentenced to jail for their participation in the Freedom Rides even though they weren’t breaking any laws. After the Rides, Donna Garde participated in MS Freedom Summer in 1964. While there she taught art at a Freedom School. She also took dozens of photos which are part of the Mark Levy Collection in the Civil Rights Archive at Queens College. She later earned her master’s in special education from Columbia University.

Linked below are Donna Garde’s photos in the Mark Levy Collection at Queens College.
https://www.jstor.org/site/queenscollegearchives/civilrightsphotos/?so=item_title_str_asc&searchkey=1724949139034&pagemark=eyJwYWdlIjoyLCJzdGFydCI6MjUsInRvdGFsIjozMzV9

Between now and this Saturday's Juneteenth event, we will be highlighting some of our participating vendors!

The Freedom Rides Museum is located inside Montgomery’s former Greyhound bus station. This site, one of many where Freedom Riders faced mob violence in 1961, tells the story of these courageous activists. The museum is operated by the Alabama Historical Commission, the State Historic Preservation Office.

https://ahc.alabama.gov/properties/freedomrides/freedomrides.aspx

Come see us! We are open today from 11am-4pm!

Happy Birthday to Albert Gordon who was 27 years old when he traveled on a Trailways bus from Montgomery, AL to Jackson, MS on July 9, 1961.

The Freedom Rides Museum will be open tomorrow in celebration of Juneteenth. Stop by and see us!

The Freedom Rides Museum will be at the Rosa Parks Museum for their Juneteenth Celebration on Saturday. Stop by from 11-4 to see our 1957 bus and learn about the Freedom Rides at this FREE event!