Beginning May 6, sophomore Rajlakshmi De will take a stand for social justice. Fifty years ago, more than 400 Americans risked their lives for the same cause.
This spring marks the 50th anniversary of the 1961 Freedom Rides—a civil rights event in which activists challenged the status quo of segregation by riding interstate buses across the South. To commemorate the anniversary, De was selected as one of 40 college students across the country to participate in the 2011 Student Freedom Ride, in conjunction with the Public Broadcasting Service’s “American Experience” history series. The film “Freedom Riders” will premiere on PBS to celebrate the end of the experience May 16.
The original Freedom Rides were intended to test Boynton v. Virginia, a Supreme Court decision that made segregation illegal in the public transportation that crossed state lines. The 40 students will retrace the original route of the Freedom Rides over a 10-day trip, all expenses paid, from Washington, D.C., to New Orleans.
De said through participating, she hopes to help the Duke community become more involved in solving social problems.
“From what I have experienced at Duke, students’ civic engagement covers an enormous breadth, but the passion and raw activism of the 1960s is not a staple here,” she said. “I have seen really inspiring work at Duke—campus petitions, summer projects, thoughtful initiatives—and I want to discuss with others on the ride about how to transform these into lifestyles.”
De’s passion for civic engagement and social change inspired her to compete with more than one thousand students across the country to take part in the event. Applicants were chosen based on essays they wrote on why they wanted to participate, their thoughts on the role of technology in modern civic engagement and their extracurricular activities, according to the PBS website.
In addition to going on the trip itself, De said she was excited to speak with the other college students and to learn from the original Freedom Riders who will join them. In particular, De is looking forward to speaking to former Duke student Joan Mulholland who was 19 years old when she decided to become a freedom rider.
The freedom rides are widely regarded as one of the most momentous events of the civil rights movement. They challenged people to think about social issues and involved a diverse coalition of activists who faced discrimination, taunting and even violence on their journey through the South, said Timothy Tyson, visiting professor of American Christianity and Southern Culture.
“[They were] one of the most important campaigns of the African-American freedom movements that emerged in the decades after World War II,” he said. “[They] forced a reluctant Kennedy administration to intervene in Southern race relations for the first time.”
The modern riders will stop at various historic sites on their way to New Orleans where participants with join others across the country in watching the documentary’s premiere. Sophomore Charles West attended an advance screening of the movie at the Nasher Museum of Art.
“They had awesome inserts of humor for comedic relief.... It’s a very heavy topic,” West said. “Also, they had actual freedom riders recounting their trip, and they did it in such an artful way that we could really connect with their stories.”
De said the event will help her feel more connected with the past as well as appreciate the social progress her peers and she are privileged enough to enjoy.
“I feel overwhelmingly fortunate to be in this time,” she said. “While there are [still] issues to face, the progress of the last 50 years is outstanding. I am surrounded by thoughtful and dedicated change makers here at Duke and will continue to meet inspiring people during the Student Freedom Ride.”
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