Freedom Rides Museum

10/16/2026

Phillip Havey was born on June 29, 1930 in New Rochelle, NY. After graduating high school, he served in both the Army and the Air Force during the Korean War, serving in some of the first racially integrated air bases. After the war he attended Iona College, then moved to Manhattan and joined the Catholic Worker Movement.

At the time of the Freedom Rides, he was working as a political editor for “The Catholic Worker” newspaper. He and 7 others boarded a Greyhound bus from Nashville, TN to Jackson, MS on July 16, 1961. Upon arrival, all were arrested for “Breach of Peace”. Havey wrote a three page article about his time as a Freedom Rider in “The Catholic Worker” where he details the conditions the Riders endured while imprisoned at the infamous Parchman Penitentiary. Havey discusses the overcrowded cells and terrible heat stating that he lost over 15 lbs due to sweat and dehydration during his short time there.

After the Freedom Rides, Havey continued his activism representing the Catholic Workers on the Committee for Nonviolent Action and helping to organize the San Francisco to Moscow Walk for Peace. He worked as an architect for a time before being hired by the federal Department of Education and moving to California. During his time with the federal government, Havey helped with the transition to computers until he retired in 1995. Today Havey lives in Berkeley, CA.

The image seen here is Havey’s mugshot taken after his arrest in Jackson, MS for his participation in the Freedom Rides.

10/16/2026

Happy Birthday to Abraham Bassford IV who was 24 years old when he traveled on a Trailways bus from New Orleans, LA to Jackson, MS on June 6, 1961.

10/14/2026

Happy Birthday to Joseph Gerbac who was 21 years old when he traveled by train from New Orleans, LA to Jackson, MS on July 30, 1961.

10/12/2026

It was originally released in 1967, but did not gain popularity until it was used in a commercial in 1969. The song peaked at #5 in the summer of 1969 due to this and the Summer of Love.

For this week’s , we will be continuing our theme of protest or Movement songs in popular music. By the late 1960s, a wave of change was sweeping the nation as Civil Rights legislation at the federal and state levels went into effect. Progress (though slow) was being made in the fight for equal rights, but progress was evident. The songs of the time reflected this changing attitude. While their predecessors demanded rights and fair treatment, the “protest” anthems of the late 1960s pleaded for acceptance and co-existence. During this time, the song “Get Together” by The Youngbloods hit the airwaves. Originally released in 1967, the simplistic but powerful chorus echoes a call for brotherhood and love.

“Come on, people now
Smile on your brother
Everybody get together
Try to love one another right now”

The song did not break into the Billboard Hot 100 charts until the summer of 1969 when it was used as a call for peace in a public service announcement by the National Conference of Christians and Jews. Shortly after, The Youngbloods re-released the song hoping the radio announcement would boost its popularity. This, along with the boost from the Summer of Love skyrocketed the song all the way to #5 and it would remain on the chart for 26 weeks. The song reached #16 on the Billboard 1969 Year- End Chart. Enjoy this recording of the song from The Youngbloods debut album: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7xGxQXmu7Os

10/10/2026

The Freedom Rides Museum will be opening at noon today.

10/09/2026

It’s time for another ! Today we will be spotlighting Freedom Rider Willie James Thomas (Ameen Tuungane)! Thomas was born on July 21, 1940 in Cincinnati, OH.

At the time of the , Thomas was 20 years old and a Junior at Ohio University. He was already an active member of the Civil Rights Movement on a local level participating in demonstrations and helping with membership drives for the NAACP.

In an interview for the book “Breach of Peace”, Thomas addressed the growing desire for action among the younger generation in the 60s. “I knew about CORE. A lot of the younger people started seeing that the NAACP wasn’t moving fast enough for us. We saw CORE as more of a direct-action thing we could do, and we saw how it could work”.

With this in mind, Thomas joined the and traveled by bus from Montgomery, AL to Jackson, MS on July 7, 1961 with seven other Riders. Upon arrival in Jackson, Thomas was arrested and taken to the infamous maximum security Parchman Prison.

After the Freedom Rides, Thomas earned a degree in electrical engineering from the University of Cincinnati and moved to Birmingham, AL. He worked for the local utility company until the late 80s when he began working as a financial advisor until his retirement in the early 2000s. In 1995, Thomas converted to Islam and changed his name to Ameen Tuungane.

In 2011, Tuungane recorded his testimony here at the museum. You can watch the 3 minute video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6VMXkJgpSFY

10/08/2026

Happy Birthday to Freedom Rider, Catherine Burks-Brooks who was 21 years old when she joined the Freedom Rides.She was one of the Freedom Riders attacked by a mob at the Montgomery Greyhound station, now the Freedom Rides Museum. After the mob attack, the Riders voted to continue and Catherine and eight other Freedom Riders traveled by Greyhound on May 28th from Nashville to Jackson and were arrested upon arrival.

10/06/2026

10/04/2026

Happy Birthday to Edward Johnson who was 19 years old when he traveled by train from New Orleans, LA to Jackson, MS on July 9, 1961.

10/02/2026

It’s ! This week we are honoring Larry Bell! Bell was born on March 5th, 1942 in Monroe, GA. He grew up there and in Los Angeles after his family moved there when he was 8. At the time of the Freedom Rides, Bell was a Freshman at Los Angeles City College. He joined the Freedom Rides along with his brother-in-law, Edmond Dalbert. He and Dalbert travelled by train from New Orleans, LA to Jackson, MS on July 9, 1961. Upon arrival, they were arrested for “Breach of Peace” alongside 7 other Riders.

In an interview with Eric Etheridge for his book, “Breach of Peace”, Bell discusses the conditions inside the notorious Parchman Prison. “We were protesting one night and… Deputy Tyson opened up the cells and put all of us- maybe thirty-five-put us not in solitary confinement but in the box. It was one room that was smaller than 12x12. They stuck all of us in there. This is I think when we came closest to someone’s demise. When they put us in this lock-up, they believed it was airtight. There was no windows; it was just a dark room. So they put all of us in that room and all we could do was stand up, stand up straight… That’s why we were put into the lock-up. They wanted us to concede to their power, and we refused to concede to their power”.

After the Freedom Rides he worked as a janitor to pay his way through college night classes. In 1966, he became one of the first African Americans to work for United Airlines. Bell passed away on May 18, 2013 at the age of 71.