Commemorations
In celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Freedom Rides, Oprah Winfrey invited all living Freedom Riders to join her TV program for a special program celebrating their legacy. The episode aired on May 4, 2011.
In conjunction with the taping of The Oprah Winfrey Show, a Conference/Reunion of Freedom Riders was held in Chicago from April 28 — May 2, 2011. See Traveling Down Freedom's Main Line for program, participant bios, and other information.
On May 6-16, 2011, 40 college students from across the United States embarked on a bus ride from Washington, D.C. to New Orleans, retracing the original route of the Freedom Riders. The 2011 Student Freedom Ride, which was sponsored by PBS and American Experience, commemorated the 50th anniversary of the original Freedom Rides. Students met with civil rights leaders along the way and traveled with original Freedom Riders such as Ernest "Rip" Patton, Joan Mulholland, Bob Singleton, Helen Singleton, Jim Zwerg, and Charles Person. On May 16, 2011 PBS aired a documentary called Freedom Riders.
On May 19–21, 2011, the Freedom Rides were commemorated in Montgomery Alabama at the new Freedom Ride museum in the old Greyhound Bus terminal where some of the violence took place. See Freedom Rides Museum for additional information. On May 22–26, 2011, the arrival of the Freedom Rides in Jackson, Mississippi were commemorated with a 50th Anniversary Reunion and Conference in Jackson. See Mississippi Freedom 50th: Return of the Freedom Riders for additional information.
In late 2011, Palestinian activists inspired by the freedom riders used the same methods in Israel by boarding a bus from which they were excluded for security considerations.
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