Freedom Riders

Vanderbilt leaders are reflecting on the life and legacy of veteran civil rights activist Kwame Lillard, who died Dec. 20 in Nashville. As recently as January 2020, Lillard shared his firsthand experiences in the civil rights movement with Vanderbilt students as part of the university’s annual Martin Luther King Jr. Commemorative Series. Read More

The late Civil Rights icon John Lewis is featured in two recent publications available from Vanderbilt University Press commemorating the Freedom Riders and the Civil Rights Movement. Read More

The annual Martin Luther King Jr. Day trip, now in its third year, provides members of the Vanderbilt community with the opportunity to learn more about the history of the civil rights movement and current efforts to further King’s legacy. Read More

Standing on the dais from which Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. once spoke, Chancellor Nicholas S. Zeppos charged college students gathered Saturday at Fisk University to live out the civil rights leader's legacy. Read More

Musician Ivor "Jerry" Moore, one of the original Freedom Riders, will be featured at a Feb. 23 performance event sponsored by Religion in the Arts and Contemporary Culture at Vanderbilt Divinity School. Read More

John Seigenthaler died July 11 at the age of 86 after a life that saw him serve as special assistant to U.S. Attorney General Robert Kennedy; suffer a brutal beating by segregationists while attempting to aid 1960s Freedom Riders; become a founding editor of what is now one of the nation’s largest newspapers, USA Today; and win the respect and admiration of generations. Read More

John Seigenthaler, then-administrative assistant to Attorney General Robert Kennedy, recalls his meeting with Alabama Gov. John Patterson during the Freedom Rides in 1961. Read More

John Seigenthaler, eminent journalist and civil rights champion, has died. Read More

Danny Glover will headline Vanderbilt University’s MLK Day celebration Monday, Jan. 20, at “An Evening with Danny Glover.” The theme for Vanderbilt’s commemoration is “Do Justice.” Read More

After finding the original mugshots of the Freedom Riders, Eric Etheridge, BA’79, took on a unique project; he tracked down 328 of the original activists, photographing them again and displaying their current portraits alongside their mugshots. The portraits are collected in Etheridge’s book, “Breach of Peace.” Etheridge recently visited the Freedom… Read More

U.S. Congressman and legendary civil rights activist John Lewis will deliver the keynote address Jan. 16 at an event commemorating the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Read More

In 2007, Vanderbilt students, faculty and staff retraced the 1961 Freedom Rides with some of the original Freedom Riders as they traveled to Montgomery and Birmingham, Ala. Among the participants was Congressman John Lewis, Diane Nash, Bernard Lafayette, the Rev. C.T. Vivian, Jim Zwerg, John Seigenthaler and the Rev. James… Read More

Early Civil Rights period focus of discussion Eric Etheridge, Charles Euchner and Alex Heard – three Vanderbilt University alumni who have written important books about the early years of the Civil Rights Movement – will return to their alma mater for a discussion and book… Read More