Freedom Riders National Monument

Freedom Riders National Monument in Anniston, Alabama, commemorates one of the most violent episodes of the American civil rights movement. On May 14, 1961, interracial groups of activists known as Freedom Riders — organized by the Congress of Racial Equality to test the Supreme Court's ruling against segregation in interstate bus terminals — were attacked in Anniston. A Greyhound bus carrying Freedom Riders was stopped outside the city by a mob, its windows smashed and tires slashed, then followed to the highway where it was firebombed. Passengers were forced to flee through the burning vehicle while the mob held the door shut. A second Trailways bus was attacked at the Anniston terminal the same afternoon. The monument, designated a unit of the National Park Service in 2017, operates its primary interpretive center at 1031 West Gurnee Avenue — the site of the original Greyhound terminal — now converted into a museum tracing the full history of the Freedom Rides from their planning through the eventual desegregation of interstate travel. Exhibits include the dramatic photographs and firsthand accounts from the Anniston attacks, oral histories from surviving Freedom Riders, and contextual material on the legal and political arc of the movement. Park rangers are available for interpretive discussions on most days. The monument is free to enter as a National Park Service site. A second unit at Comer, Alabama, marks the location of the bus firebombing itself and is accessible by car approximately 6 miles from the Anniston center. The interior museum is climate-controlled and suitable in any season. The combination of the Anniston center and the Comer site provides the fullest account of the May 1961 events.