Experiencing The Segregated Bus System
61 years ago on December 1st, Rosa Parks, a black seamstress was arrested in Montgomery Alabama for refusing to give up her seat to a white man on a city bus. The incident sparked a year-long boycott of the buses by blacks, leading to the end of segregated buses in the south. Next, we hear from Seattle writer, Georgia McDade who grew up in the south and remembers her experience using the segregated bus system.
School Desegregation and Busing in Seattle
Seattle implemented a desegregation busing plan in 1978. The program lasted over two decades. Opinions on the success of busing varies. WTFlux spoke with Dr. Norwood Brooks, one of Washington state’s first elected black officials. (more…)
Freedom Rides of the 60’s to Protest Segregation
in 1961, civil rights activists boarded interstate buses, making trips throughout the American South, to protest segregation in bus terminals. The group started out with 13 people but many joined the movement. Dr. Bernard Lafayette Jr. was inspired to become a freedom rider and played a key role early on in the organizing of the Selma, Alabama voting rights campaign. KBCS’s Sonya Green interviewed Dr. Layfayette Jr. about his experiences as a freedom rider and civil rights leader, in this four-part series.
