Mississippi Freedom Riders

Eric Etheridge talked about his book Breach of Peace: Portraits of the 1961 Mississippi Freedom Riders (Atlas, May 23, 2008). On May 4, 1961, civil rights activists later called Freedom Riders began riding buses into the segregated South, testing a 1960 Supreme Court decision that held racial segregation illegal in bus and train stations. From May through September 1961, over 300 Riders were arrested in Jackson, Mississippi, charged with “breach of the peace.” Most embraced a “jail, no bail” strategy, overflowing Jackson’s city and county jails. Eric Etheridge recovered and restored the Freedom Riders' mug shots, which had recently been made public when the Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission released their files. He spent four years locating the Freedom Riders, photographing them, and interviewing them about their experiences. Three of the former Freedom Riders that he profiled talked with Mr. Etheridge about their experiences. They responded to questions from members of the au close