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Journey of reconciliation

Posted on February 26, 2009 by Staff

One of the most important North Carolina civil rights protests prior to the sit-ins of 1960 will be commemorated in Chapel Hill on Saturday with the unveiling of a historic state highway marker at the corner of Rosemary and Columbia streets.

The protest of 1947, called the First Freedom Ride, consisted of an interracial group committed to testing a Supreme Court decision in 1946 that ruled state Jim Crow laws on interstate buses and trains were unconstitutional. On their trip on April 13 from Chapel Hill to Greensboro, the bus driver demanded that they re-seat themselves according to Jim Crow laws. Upon their refusal, the driver summoned the police and an angry mob of white cabdrivers attacked one of the Freedom Riders.

The events precipitated an unprecedented debate on police conduct, Jim Crow laws and mob violence.

Saturday’s event begins with a gathering at noon at the Hargraves Community Center followed by a march from the center to the dedication site. A reception will follow at Town Hall.

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