January 8, 2022

FREEDOM RIDES MUSEUM

210 S Court St, Montgomery, AL 36104

“The Freedom Rides Museum is located at 210 South Court Street in Montgomery, Alabama, in the building which was until 1995 the Montgomery Greyhound Bus Station. It was the site of a violent attack on participants in the 1961 Freedom Ride during the Civil Rights Movement.” Wikipedia

The museum documents the journey a group of volunteers made in 1961 challenging the practice of segregated travel through the South.  The sites website tells the story best:

“In 1961 groups of volunteers made history by challenging the practice of segregated travel through the South. They called themselves Freedom Riders as they crossed racial barriers in depots and onboard buses. The 1961 Freedom Riders did not begin or end their journey in Montgomery, Alabama, but their arrival changed the city and our nation.

Freedom Riders, black and white, male and female, none of them older than 22, stepped off a bus at the Montgomery Greyhound Station on May 20, 1961. They were prepared to meet mob violence with non-violence and courage. They prepared farewell letters and wills. Their goal was to help end racial segregation in public transportation. And they did.”

The story is laid out on about 30 panels on the walls around the room.  There is a fair amount of reading and pictures to verify what was read.  There isn’t a whole lot of memorabilia, but then I’m not sure what items from the riders I would have liked to see.  I have a feeling COVID has hampered the museum as I heard the person at the desk tell some other guests that they could go on YouTube and find the museum’s videos, which I assume in pre-COVID days played at the museum.

I enjoyed the museum but wouldn’t recommend it for a family as kids would be bored.

As with many other museums in Montgomery, photography was not allowed inside the museum.