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Portraits of Freedom Riders: Then and Now

More than 300 Freedom Riders were imprisoned in 1961. Where are they now? Find out in this excerpt from Breach of Peace.
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Hank Thomas

Hank Thomas, Now

Since then: Became a field secretary for CORE in 1962, working in Birmingham and Huntsville, Alabama. Inducted into the Army in 1963 and chose to serve as a medic. Did a tour of duty in Vietnam, 1965–66.

Moved to Atlanta after Vietnam and got in the franchise business, starting with a laundromat, followed by a Dairy Queen. Today he and his wife own two McDonald's and four Marriott hotels; they live in Stone Mountain, Georgia.

See Hank's emotional reunion Watch

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