“Freedom Riders” is a 2010 American historical documentary film, produced by Firelight Media for PBS American Experience.

The film is based in part on the book “Freedom Riders: 1961 and the Struggle for Racial Justice” by historian Raymond Arsenault.

Directed by Stanley Nelson, it marked the 50th anniversary of the first Freedom Ride in May 1961 and first aired on May 16, 2011.

It was funded in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities. The film was also featured on The Oprah Winfrey Show program titled, “Freedom Riders: 50th Anniversary”.

Nelson was helped in the making of the documentary by Arsenault and Derek Catsam, an associate professor at the University of Texas of the Permian Basin.

In 2020, the film was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”, making it the seventh film designated in its first year of eligibility, the first in the 2010s, and the most recently released film to be selected until 2011’s “Pariah” was inducted in 2022.

The film chronicles the story behind hundreds of civil rights activists called Freedom Riders who challenged racial segregation in American interstate transportation during the Civil Rights Movement.

The activist traveled together in small interracial groups and sat wherever they chose on buses and trains to compel equal access to terminal restaurants and waiting rooms.

They brought the ongoing practice of racial segregation in the southern United States to national attention.

Thanks to Wikipedia for the full write-up at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Freedom_Riders_(film)

★ DISCLAIMER ★ I do not claim to own the screenplay, the music, the artwork or the lyrics of this artistic work. All rights are attributed to their respective owners! This video/audio publication is not meant to infringe any of the copyrights.

★ Cultural, Historical or Aesthetic Significance ★ This artistic work is published here by way of promotion and fandom. I consider this to be a work that has helped shape the collective conscious of society. Either it contributes to it, or it describes the world in which we live , how we cope with our lives, and the questions we struggle with.

★ Non-Profit Publication ★ This site does not seek to profit financially or in any other manner from the content published on it. No kind of gain or benefit is sought from the publication of the content posted here.

★ Copyright Disclaimer ★ Title 17, US Code (Sections 107-118 of the copyright law, Act 1976): All media in this video/audio publication is used for the purpose of review & commentary under terms of fair use. All footage, audio and images used belong to their respective owners. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing.

All questions and requests can be emailed to: [email protected]