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Bernard LafayetteEdit
Twenty-year-old Bernard Lafayette hailed from Tampa, FL and was enrolled as an undergraduate at Nashville's American Baptist Theological Seminary. A veteran of the Nashville sit-ins, Lafayette had already staged a successful impromptu Freedom Ride with his close friend and fellow student activist John Lewis in 1959, while traveling home for Christmas break, when they decided to exercise their rights as interstate passengers by sitting in the front of a bus from Nashville, TN to Birmingham, AL. As part of the May 17 Nashville Student Movement Ride, Lafayette endured jail time in Birmingham, riots and firebombings in Montgomery, AL, an arrest in Jackson, MS and jail time at Parchman State Prison Farm during June 1961. After the end of the Freedom Riders campaign, he worked on voting rights and helped to coordinate the 1968 Poor Peoples Campaign. He completed a doctorate in Education at Harvard University and for several years was the Director of the Center for Nonviolence and Peace Studies at the University of Rhode Island. He currently teaches at Emory University and conducts nonviolent workshops worldwide.
Bernard Lafayette We're having trouble sorting out the details for the ride.
Tue, May 16, 1961 11:26PM
Bernard Lafayette Riders are boarding an early morning bus. Many of us are disappointed to not be selected to ride yet.
Wed, May 17, 1961 03:12PM
Bernard Lafayette Nash is letting Birmingham police know riders are on the way. We don't want a rerun of the first ride.
Wed, May 17, 1961 05:32PM
Bernard Lafayette Haven't heard from the riders or Shuttlesworth in a while. Hope they're alright.
Thu, May 18, 1961 12:48AM
Bernard Lafayette Nash got a call from the 7 remaining riders. They've been dropped off @ the Tennessee boarder & left to find a way back to Nashville.
Thu, May 18, 1961 03:02AM
Bernard Lafayette Just got another call from the riders. They're staying with an elderly couple somewhere near the Tennessee border.
Thu, May 18, 1961 04:25AM
Bernard Lafayette All the riders are determined to make it to New Orleans. Nash is sending a car that'll get them back to Birmingham by midafternoon.
Fri, May 19, 1961 04:26AM
Bernard Lafayette I've been added to the 7 original riders! Waiting for them in Birmingham now.
Fri, May 19, 1961 02:15PM
Bernard Lafayette We're all on our way to Greyhound terminal to catch the first bus to Montgomery.
Fri, May 19, 1961 02:32PM
Bernard Lafayette Arriving at Greyhound terminal now. There are tons of people here! Lots of reporters.
Fri, May 19, 1961 03:00PM
Bernard Lafayette People are moving in on us as we move to the bus. No one is touching us though...
Fri, May 19, 1961 08:05PM
Bernard Lafayette Officials are telling us there are no drivers available for the bus. We're waiting until someone is available.
Fri, May 19, 1961 08:42PM
Bernard Lafayette It has been more than an hour and there is still no bus driver. Klan members are trying to provoke us.
Fri, May 19, 1961 08:52PM
Bernard Lafayette Just got a drink spilled on me by a Klansman. Police finally decided to kick everyone out of the waiting room but us.
Fri, May 19, 1961 09:01PM
Bernard Lafayette People are throwing rock through the windows at us. Officers are trying to keep them back with dogs.
Sat, May 20, 1961 08:08PM
Bernard Lafayette A driver just came but left again a few minutes later. =( Will we ever get going?
Sun, May 21, 1961 03:30PM
Bernard Lafayette Finally boarding the bus! The driver came back, but Shuttlesworth was arrested before he could board.
Sun, May 21, 1961 03:37PM
Bernard Lafayette After 5 hours of delay, we are finally on the bus moving toward our destination!
Sun, May 21, 1961 07:32PM
Bernard Lafayette On the bus. Getting a little scared. Police cars & planes are surrounding the bus.
Sun, May 21, 1961 07:44PM
Bernard Lafayette Just realized the highway patrol vehicles are protecting our bus. We're all much more relaxed now.
Sun, May 21, 1961 07:57PM
Bernard Lafayette Some of us are falling asleep now. Much easier to sleep on a bus than on the wood benches @ the terminal.
Sun, May 21, 1961 08:02PM
Bernard Lafayette Crossing the Alabama River into Montgomery County. The capitol city is only a few miles away now.
Sun, May 21, 1961 09:46PM
Bernard Lafayette We're pulling into the arrival bay but there are no policemen in sight. Our escort even got smaller as we neared Montgomery.
Sun, May 21, 1961 10:04PM
Bernard Lafayette Hope some police show up soon. We were told they were going to protect us here.
Sun, May 21, 1961 10:34PM
Bernard Lafayette We're getting off the bus now. Things don't look right out there. We better be careful.
Sun, May 21, 1961 11:12PM
Bernard Lafayette Men w/ lead pipes & baseball bats are coming at us! We're being backed against a low wall 8 ft over a parking lot.
Sun, May 21, 1961 11:22PM
Bernard Lafayette Lewis is telling us to stand together & hold our ground. People are coming at us from every direction.
Sun, May 21, 1961 11:23PM
Bernard Lafayette They're beating us with anything & everything they can get their hands on.
Sun, May 21, 1961 11:24PM
Bernard Lafayette Some of the riders have jumped the 8 ft down to the parking lot & some have been pushed over onto hoods of cars.
Sun, May 21, 1961 11:25PM
Bernard Lafayette A few of us have been cornered by the mob. They're beating Zwerg.
Sun, May 21, 1961 11:26PM
Bernard Lafayette There are even women & children in the mob. Women are holding their children up to scratch at our faces.
Sun, May 21, 1961 11:27PM
Bernard Lafayette Zwerg is unconscious. They threw him over the railing into the parking lot. They're closing in on the rest of us now.
Sun, May 21, 1961 11:28PM
Bernard Lafayette Lewis is down now too. They took him out with a wooden Coca-Cola crate.
Sun, May 21, 1961 11:29PM
Bernard Lafayette I don't see the female riders anywhere. Hope they're alright.
Sun, May 21, 1961 11:33PM
Bernard Lafayette Cason, Leonard, & I jumped over the wall to escape the mob. We are running into a nearby post office.
Sun, May 21, 1961 11:37PM
Bernard Lafayette Running through the mail sorting room, I just heard gunshots come from the direction of the loading platform we jumped from.
Sun, May 21, 1961 11:43PM
Bernard Lafayette Hiding from the Klan, hoping everyone else is okay.
Sun, May 21, 1961 11:49PM
Bernard Lafayette Just got word from Nash to lay low. I'm hiding from both police and civilians now.
Mon, May 22, 1961 12:32AM
Bernard Lafayette All the beatings have helped us to see that there is no turning back in the face of danger.
Mon, May 22, 1961 12:43AM
Bernard Lafayette Some people think that we're trying to be martyrs. We are not. We just want equality & justice & we'll do what we can to get it.
Mon, May 22, 1961 01:33AM