Remembering the Riders

"Human progress is neither automatic nor inevitable… Every step toward the goal of justice requires sacrifice, suffering, and struggle; the tireless exertions and passionate concern of dedicated individuals.” – Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.

Last week I was given the opportunity to share in the spirit of the Freedom Riders as I sang with the "Let Freedom Ring!" choir that performs annually at the Kennedy Center to commemorate the legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr. Our opening song, "Buses Are A-Comin’," transported the audience, along with myself, back to the 1961 jail cells of Jackson, Mississippi, where the song was created by members of the Freedom Riders. Risking their lives, this courageous group of citizens became soldiers fighting a nonviolent war – diverse in race, gender, and socioeconomic status, but united in their unwavering demand for equal rights. In their quest for social justice they were met with bats and lead pipes, beatings and racial slurs. Jailed, but not broken, their spirit intact, they remained strong as they sang, "you can lock us up, but you can't stop the movement.” And that night, at the Kennedy Center, we sang not only to rejoice at the progress that has been made, but also to remember that the movement is still very much alive.