The Journey to Freedom

Anniston, Alabama, May 14, 1961

An angry mob at the Greyhound bus terminal greets the first bus as it arrives in Anniston on May 14. The violent protesters smash windows, slash tires and threaten the Riders before local police escort the bus out of town. The bus, followed by a long line of cars and trucks and six miles out of town, is forced to pull over as the tires go flat. The mob resumes its attack, throwing a firebomb through a broken window on the bus. The Riders escape but many suffer smoke inhalation and must be transported to a hospital.