Friends of the Freedom Rides Museum

06/23/2026

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

05/10/2026

Join us tomorrow at 5:15 outside the museum for our commemoration event for the 65th Anniversary of the Freedom Rides. You don’t want to miss this opportunity to hear from living !

03/06/2026

We lost a powerful advocate for peace and nonviolence when Freedom Rider Dr. Bernard Lafayette died on Thursday.
After joining the 1961 Freedom Rides, he went on to lead voting registration efforts in Selma, Alabama, culminating in the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

He continued to teach peace and nonviolent principles, organizing workshops around the world and across the nation. He was scheduled for one next week in Selma.

He was a frequent speaker at the Freedom Rides Museum, where he powerfully used both humour and song to preach the gospel of nonviolence.

His lifelong commitment to these principles will be remembered throughout American history,

Well done, Dr. Lafayette

Dr. Valda Montgomery
president, Friends of the Freedom Rides Museum
Dorothy Walker
former director of the Freedom Rides Museum

01/20/2025

He was such a special person.

We are sad to announce the passing of our friend and Freedom Rider Dr. Charles Person. He passed away yesterday at the age of 82. The life he led and the legacy he left behind will be remembered for years to come.

10/11/2024

Today we would like to extend a Happy Birthday to Freedom Rider, Catherine Burks-Brooks.

Catherine Burks was 21 years old when she joined the . At that time she was a student at Tennessee State and active in the Nashville Student Movement. On May 20, 1961, Burks-Brooks was also one of the Freedom Riders attacked by a mob at the Montgomery Greyhound station, now the Freedom Rides Museum.
Catherine and eight other Freedom Riders traveled by Greyhound on May 28th from Nashville to Jackson and were arrested upon arrival. She later married fellow Freedom Rider Paul Brooks. After the Rides, she worked in Mississippi on the voter registration efforts and graduated from Tennessee State in 1962. She moved up north to raise money for SCLC and later moved to the Bahamas. In 1979, she moved back to Birmingham, where she became a district sales manager for Avon retiring in 1998. She worked as a substitute teacher until 2013. We forever remember Catherine Burks-Brooks as a very courageous advocate for freedom.