At the conclusion of an event MCLM was holding, four Freedom Riders gave first hand accounts of their experiences in the civil rights movement. One freedom rider shared a particularly moving story. In Alabama, he recalls sitting in the whites-only section of the bus . Although he was very scared at the time, he remembers some African American passengers sitting in the back of the bus shouting at him saying things like, “get back to where you belong” and “know your place.” His hecklers were silenced by a white woman in the front of the bus sitting near him who stated “he has every right in the world to be sitting there.”
Besides being amazed by his story, I also took away the importance of providing public programs that incorporate people from the community. All of the freedom riders that spoke that day were from the Los Angeles region and were happy to share their stories with the patrons of MCLM. As an archivist, I think it is important to remember the importance of keeping the community involved by providing dynamic programs.
That sounds like a great event! It's wonderful that you're able to tap into the wonderful resources that are your backyard.
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