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Journey of Reconciliation members in 1947

Journey of Reconciliation members in 1947

Charlotte, North Carolina, May 8–9, 1961
In the first significant confrontation of the CORE Freedom Ride, Joseph Perkins is arrested for trespassing as he attempts to have his shoes shined at a whites-only shoeshine chair. Perkins refuses to post bail and spends two nights (May 8 and 9) in jail. On May 10, Judge Howard B. Arbuckle finds Perkins innocent of the trespassing charge based on the precedent set in Boyton v. Virginia.
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On Sunday, 04.13.1947 The Journey of Reconciliation is celebrated. This was the first civil rights freedom ride through the American South.

George Houser and Bayard Rustin were its primary organizers. It was sponsored by CORE and the Fellowship For Reconciliation. Black and white members ventured on a "Journey of Reconciliation," trying to force the federal government to uphold the 1946 Supreme Court ruling that segregated seating of interstate passengers was unconstitutional.

The original riders were arrested in North Carolina and forced to serve on a chain gang for six months.

Reference:
Contemporary Black Biography, various volumes
Edited by Shirelle Phelps
Copyright 1999 by Gale Research, Detroit, London
ISBN 0-7876-1275-8

Source:https://www.history.com/topics/black-history/freedom-rides

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