“We were ordered to strip naked. I could see this as an attempt to break us down, to humiliate and dehumanize us, to rob us of our self-worth.” (John Lewis)
CORE's Freedom Ride
Lewis discovered CORE’s 1961 Freedom Ride and registered immediately. During the ride, Lewis was the youngest participant. As such, his leadership remained minimal… initially. “Freedom Riders must develop the quiet courage of dying for a cause. We would not like to see anyone die, but we are well aware that we may have casualties.” (MLK on freedom riders) "No Surrender"
Unconnected to the incident, Lewis shortly left the Freedom Ride for an interview in Philadelphia. While away, the greyhound bus was bombed in Aniston, Alabama. Lewis recounts, “I felt shock. I felt guilt.” When another group of Freedom Riders succumb to horrific beatings in Birmingham, Jim Farmer halted the Freedom Rides. Lewis thought, “I couldn't believe it. I understood the thinking behind this decision, but it defied one of the most basic tenets of nonviolent action – that is, that there can be no surrender in the face of brute force or any form of violent opposition. Retreat is one thing; surrender is another. Backing down in a situation like that means that other values matter more than the issues or principles that are at stake.” "Go ahead and sing."
The Freedom Riders were soon arrested and sentenced to Parchman Farm, a historically cruel prison. Fred Jones, the racist plant runner, told the riders, “Go ahead and sing your freedom songs now. We got niggers here that will eat you up. So you go and sing your songs inside now.” But Lewis kept the community together. Freedom songs kept spirits alive. |
"Struggle Against a System"
On May 9th, 1961, in Rock Hill, SC Lewis was beaten accessing a whites-only facility in the bus terminal. “We said no to press charges [after the officer stepped in.] Our struggle was not against one person or against a small group of people. The struggle was against a system.” “If, in some way, it might become more politically dangerous for the federal government not to enforce [anti-segregation] laws than to enforce them, things would change.” (Jim Farmer, leader of CORE) "It's a waste."
Lewis took responsibility and rebooted the rides as a SNCC venture. This time, he would ride start to finish. Marshall told Lewis, “It’s a waste. You’ll get people hurt. You’ll get people killed.” |