SUNDAY, DECEMBER 26, 2010 DOCUMENTARY ‘Freedom Riders’ travels to key points in civil rights era Film chronicling activists


who hit U.S. highways aims to inspire new generation


BY SHEILA BYRD


jackson, miss. — Filmmaker Stanley Nelson says his new documentary about the activists who opposed the 1960s segregation of the South may help in- spire a new generation of youths. “Freedom Riders” recounts the 1961


crusade by young activists intent on ending segregated travel on interstate buses in the Deep South. The film, set to air May 16 on PBS’s “American Experi- ence,” has been generating buzz on the film festival circuit since its showing at Sundance in January. Most of the riders were college stu-


dents coached in the art of nonviolent protest by veteran activists, including the Rev. James M. Lawson Jr. The stu- dents, both black and white, knew they were risking their lives by traveling on Greyhound and Trailways buses into the violently segregated South. Nelson said the great lesson of “Free-


dom Riders” is how ordinary people — much like the hundreds of activists who rode into the South — can bring about change. “It really says that this movement was


a movement of people,” Nelson said. “Nobody else will ever be aMartin Luther King. What ‘Freedom Riders’ said is that you don’t have to be.” That’s the message Nelson wants to


impart to students being recruited to join some of the original participants in retracing the route of the Freedom Rides


next year on their 50th anniversary. More than 165 students from across the nation have applied ahead of a mid-Janu- ary deadline for one of the 40 seats available for the trip, organized by “American Experience.” The tour will begin inWashington and


cover flash points of the civil rights era, including Anniston, Ala., where the bus was firebombed, and Montgomery, Ala., whereriders were beaten by a whitemob. One of the original riders, Hank


Thomas of StoneMountain, Ga., recalled the dangers. “I was on that bus that was fire-


bombed in Anniston, and the Klan held the door shut while the bus was burning. The fuel tank exploded, and the people who were holding the door scattered,” Thomas said. When the bus reached Rock Hill, S.C.,


Thomas was arrested, carted off to jail and then taken to a Ku Klux Klan meeting. An athletic 6-foot-4 student at Howard University, he was able flee the klansmen and deputies. “Luckily, I was an athlete in high


school and college, and I was able to outrun the mob just in the nick of time. An old black minister was monitoring the situation and following police and told me to jump in the car,” Thomas said in an interview with the Associated Press. The 2011 bus tour is to culminate in


Jackson,Miss., the city where riders were detained and hauled off to the state’s Parchman prison, where at least one of the riders was struck so hard by guards that he bled. Nelson said his latest project reso-


nates even more than some of his previ- ous documentaries, including “TheMur- der of Emmett Till,” a film he produced


ASSOCIATED PRESS


‘AMOVEMENTOFPEOPLE’:AFreedom Rider bus goes up in flames after a firebomb was tossed through a window near Anniston, Ala., inMay 1961.


and directed. The 2003 documentary was an account of the 14-year-old black boy’s murder in Mississippi, supposedly for whistling at a white woman in 1955. The New York-based filmmaker said


that bringing youth activists on a tour retracing the rides promises to be a vivid experience. “Talking about the civil rights movement in the actual places [where it happened] is important,” he said. The newgeneration of riders will hear


from the movement’s veterans, including Bernard Lafayette Jr.,whowas a 20-year- old seminary student when he got in- volved. Lafayette said his parents initial-


ly refused to sign a consent form, fearing the rides would be “his death warrant.” Lafayette, a senior scholar in resi-


dence at Emory University who teaches students about Martin Luther King Jr.’s philosophy, said the strategies of the civil rights movement are applicable to issues today such as “the bullying, the high dropout rate, the violence that takes place.”


“Once students realize what existed


before and what we did to bring about those changes, that becomes the teach- able moment. The worst thing that could happen is that people come to believe that things cannot change,” Lafayette


said. Lafayette said that “Freedom Riders”


recalls a time in U.S. history that must never be forgotten. The documentary includes black-and-


white footage of the buses under attack, as well as interviews with participants and government officials who sought to quell the situation for the Kennedy administration. John Seigenthaler, a Tennessee native


who served as a special assistant to Attorney General Robert Kennedy, said on film that he wasn’t aware of the plight of blacks on segregated buses before the rides. Seigenthaler had tried to persuade the


activists to call off protests, fearing further violence. But he said DianeNash, a FiskUniversity student and a founding member of the StudentNonviolent Coor- dinating Committee, refused.He says on film that Nash told him the riders had signed their last will and testament because “ ‘we know someone will be killed. But we cannot let violence over- come nonviolence.’ ” During an eight-month period in 1961,


more than 400 blacks and whites trav- eled on the buses into the South. Many were beaten and jailed, but none died. The film has had select screenings


nationwide. Thomas, who owns McDonald’s res-


taurants and Marriott hotels, attended last month’s showing at the Alamo The- ater in Jackson to standing ovations. “We were treated like conquering he-


roes or superstars when we walked on the stage. There was thunderous ap- plause,” Thomas said of a theater brim- ming with hundreds of people. “I felt a little bit embarrassed by it all.” —Associated Press


Engagements | Weddings | Anniversaries ——Weddings——


Laura Christine Breslin Marries


—October 2, 2010—


Carlos Felipe Hernandorena


To place an announcement: ——Anniversaries——


email: weddings@washpost.com


Alper 60th Anniversary —December 23, 1950—


phone: 202-334-5736


——Anniversaries—— Patteson


50th Anniversary —December 28, 1960—


fax: 202-334-7188 ——Anniversaries—— Tip #3:


Get more information online at washingtonpost.com/onlove.


Darragh


60th Anniversary —December 28, 1950—


PLANNING A WEDDING? TheWashington Post


Wedding Planner is here to help! A handy guide to help you


select vendors and stay organized. Dr.and Mrs.Stanley Alper


Stanley and Frances (Haskell) Alper celebrated their 60th wed- ding anniversary,onDecember 23, 2010. Introduced by amutual friend, Alex Blumberg, the couple first met in September 1946 as classmates in freshman English at Brooklyn College,never envisioning aromance that would span seven decades.


Mr.and Mrs.Carlos Hernandorena Photo Credit: JPP Studios


Eduardo Andres and Caroline Cleveland Hernandorena of Falls Church, Virginia are pleased to announce the wedding of their son Carlos Felipe Hernandorena to Laura Christine Breslin, daughter of Mr.and Mrs.Kevin Patrick Breslin of Glenview, Illinois.


The wedding took place at Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Glenview,Illinois and the ceremony was officiated by Laura’suncle,Father Peter Breslin S.J.


Lauraand Carlos reside in Vienna, Virginia with their Labrador,Woody.


——Anniversaries——


Smith 60th Anniversary —December 28, 1950—


Stanley served in the Navy on the USS Canberraduring WWII and was the second of his seven siblings to attend college.Frances was the first in her family to attend college.After “keeping company” for the next four years,Stanley,atthe urging of his mother,finally proposed and the couple were married on December 23, 1950 in awedding attended by numerous family and friends.


Stanley,trained as amechanical engineer,was working for General Electric Corporation in upstate New York and his new bride Frances,left her job as an elementary school teacher to utilize her Mathematics degree to join her spouse and began working for General Electric in Schenectady,NewYork.


The first of the couple’sfour children, adaughter,was born in 1953, followed by twin sons in 1954 and athird son in 1962. After various career related moves,Stanley and Frances settled in Silver Spring, Maryland in 1964 where they have resided for the past 46 years.During that time Stanley was employed by American Machine and Foundry Company,Research Analysis Corporation, and Science Applications International Corporation. He was also afounding Vice President of Hover Systems Inc., a company developing innovative methods of moving oil storage tanks on air cushions.Ultimately,Stanley joined NOAA as the Chief of the Charting Research and Development Laboratory for the National Ocean Service.


Frances,meanwhile,was employed for twenty-eight years by Potomac Electric Power Company,atfirst part time while the couple’schildren were young, progressing to afull time programmer analyst and project coordinator when the children grew older.


Mr.and Mrs.Fred Smith


Happy Anniversary! Your thoughtful- ness and kindness toward each other and to us is an inspiration.


Love from your children and grand- children: Fred, Chris,Joan, Robert, Ali, Christopher and Stephen.


Sharing apassion for intellectual development, Stan and Fran took courses together at Johns Hopkins University,studying together and competing with one another for the highest grades. This endeavor resulted in Computer Science Master’sdegrees earned by both spouses in 1988.


Tip #1:


Find your ceremony and reception locations 9 to 12 months before your wedding date.


Just engaged? First things first.


Stanley and Frances each retired in 1995 and have spent the ensuing fifteen years sharing their experience and knowledge by volunteering in various capacities.Currently Stan and Fran work as ateam for Montgomery County’sSHIP (Seniors’ Health Insurance Program) counseling other senior citizens about avail- able health care options.Stanley is the expert, having educated himself about health care programs for senior citizens and Frances assists,her warm and compassionate nature putting their clients at ease.Intheir spare time the couple are avid Bridge players,playing with long-time friends almost every week. Many mornings Stan and Fran can be found sharing breakfast at their local McDonalds,reading the Washington Post and Wall Street Journal and doing the crossword and Suduku puzzles together.


When asked about the ingredients necessary for asuccessful sixty-year marriage,the couple point to their shared back- grounds,work ethic and value system, their respect for each other,and they add,adash of good luck.


Thanks to Alex Blumberg for making that fateful introduction during freshman English!


Mr.and Mrs.Forest Patteson


Forest Lee and Janet Delores (Crump) Patteson will celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary on December 28, 2010. They met while students at Montgomery Blair High School and were later married at First Baptist Church of Silver Spring on December 28, 1960. After serving in the U.S. Army,Forest enjoyed arewarding career at the Eastman Kodak Com- pany.Janet also worked at Kodak and continues to care for her entire family.


The Pattesons' have four children: Lee,Tom, Jim and Diana (Faya). They have two grandchildren: Taylor and Michael Faya. Mother of the bride, Mrs.Ethel Crump,resides with the Pattesons at their Mount Airy home.


Please join the family in wishing the Pattesons arelaxing golden anniversary vacation.


Mr.and Mrs.Hugh Darragh


It is with much love and admiration that the children of Hugh and Dolores Darragh announce the 60th wedding anniversary of their parents.


The happy couple married December 28, 1950 in Washington, D.C.,atSt. Teresa Catholic Church. They settled locally and have lived in Rockville, Maryland since 1959.


Nanny and Pop: Your six children, along with their spouses,grandchil- dren, great-grandchildren, and family friends want to wish you continued health, happiness,and many more great years together!


of TheWashington Post Wedding Planner.


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washingtonpost.com/ weddingplanner


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Declare Your Love!


Announce your Engagement,Wedding or Anniversary in TheWashington Post’s Sunday Arts & Style Section. (Birthdays,Graduations & other Special Events have moved to Thursdays.)You may provide text and photos.Color is available. Many packages include keepsake plaques of your announcement.


To place an order and for more information, including rates: Contact The Weddings DropBox at: weddings@washpost.com


Or call 202.334.5736, toll free 877.POST.WED, fax 202.334.7188 All materials must be received by Monday at 1 p.m.


Tip #8: Write thank you


notes as you receive gifts, so you don’t have too many to write when you


get back from your honeymoon.


Tip #2: Getting married away from


home? Travel two days or more before the ceremony to be sure you’re there in time.


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