Freedom Riders

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

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

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