Protesters stood in the cold outside Allen Arena. But this wasn’t a typical demonstration.
Students re-enacted protests against integration before chapel last Thursday, Jan. 13, in recognition of a visit from Freedom Riders who are here observing the 50th anniversary of their historic stand for civil rights.
Dr. Bernard LaFayette, a civil rights activist, spoke to the student body in the arena before joining two fellow Freedom Riders, Etta Simpson Ray and Mary Jean Smith, for a session in Shamblin Theatre.
LaFayette said the purpose of the Freedom Rides was not simply to desegregate the bus system. As part of the Freedom Rides, Americans from the North and the South banded together in an effort to change segregation that was still in pratice in the transportation industry. The riders were “combating the false notion” that black people were inferior to white people, LaFayette said.
According to the riders, their decision to participate in the non-violent activities did not come easily. They knew that violence was a common response when the buses arrived in various cities. They said they had to consider their own safety and the safety of their families when choosing if they should go on the trip.
“I was supposed to go all along, but I was stubborn,” Smith said, explaining that she resisted getting involved for quite some time.
When they stopped in various cities along the journey south, many of the riders were beaten. Most were arrested and imprisoned. Some, like Smith and Ray, were expelled from their universities.
“We could not avoid the violence,” LaFayette said. “There was not an easy way to make this happen. We thought the suffering was necessary to bring the kind of change we wanted.”
LaFayette said he had two main motives for getting involved with the Freedom Rides. He wanted to bring about social change, and he also wanted to test his level of love for his so-called enemies.
“I wanted to see if I, in fact, had the capacity to love somebody that hated me,” LaFayette said.
Despite all of the suffering, looking back after 50 years, Smith said she was thankful for the ability to participate in the rides.
“I’m not a hero. I’m grateful I was a small part of it,” Smith said.
LaFayette said he coped with the violent opposition by considering his opponent’s perspective on the situation. He said that he would remind himself that, for example, he could have been born into a white family or had parents who were members of the Ku Klux Klan. By stepping outside of his own perceptions, LaFayette said he was able to deal with the experience.
“Love is about getting outside of yourself,” LaFayette said.
The Freedom Riders said that their families were hesitant before the rides and at times didn’t respond well afterwards, either.
“You went. It happened. Forget it, and go on,” Ray said, explaining the attitudes of those around her after she returned from the rides.
Ray and Smith agreed that they don’t tell their stories because they think they’re unique or important. Rather, they talk about the Freedom Rides because others have requested it and because it is a part of history.
LaFayette said that his experience with the Freedom Rides taught him how to apply the biblical principles he had heard all his life—ideas like “love your neighbor” and “do good to those who hate you.”
“That’s what this movement did for me,” he said. “It gave me the opportunity to love.”