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The Freedom Riders

An eyewitness account of how Martin Luther King managed to prevent inter-ethnic bloodshed on a night of extreme tension during the battle against segregation in the American South.

The Freedom Riders were civil rights activists who rode on buses, testing out whether bus stations were complying with the Supreme Court ruling that banned segregation.

Listen to Bernard Lafayette Junior, an eyewitness to how Martin Luther King managed to prevent inter-ethnic bloodshed on a night of extreme tension during the battle against segregation in the American South.

Picture: A group of Black Americans get off the 'Freedom Bus' at Jackson, Mississippi, Credit: William Lovelace/Express/Getty Images

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9 minutes

Last on

Wed 31 Aug 2011 02:50GMT

Broadcasts

  • Tue 30 Aug 2011 08:50GMT
  • Tue 30 Aug 2011 12:50GMT
  • Tue 30 Aug 2011 16:50GMT
  • Tue 30 Aug 2011 21:50GMT
  • Wed 31 Aug 2011 00:50GMT
  • Wed 31 Aug 2011 02:50GMT

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