Library's Film Series Continues With Freedom Riders

In 1961, over 400 committed civil rights activists in the Deep South took part in an experiment designed to awaken the conscience of the United States.  Risking life and limb in the struggle for racial justice, these men and women, now known as the Freedom Riders, boarded segregated buses bound for the Jim Crow South at a time when local governments were ignoring or even condoning attacks on civil rights protestors.  On April 6, at 2pm West Orange Public Library will screen part of the award winning PBS documentary, Freedom Riders, which tells the story of these courageous volunteers. 

This is the second in our four part series, Created Equal:  America’s Civil Rights Struggle, a series of film screenings and community discussions to highlight a new set of fascinating and important film documentaries on civil rights history in America.  West Orange Library is proud be one of 473 institutions nationwide selected to offer this series as part of an initiative of the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.  The series is sponsored locally by the West Orange African Heritage Organization.  Without the help of this wonderful community organization, the library would not be able to share this vital programming series with the West Orange community. 

Dr. Clement A. Price, a Rutgers Board of Governors Distinguished Service professor, will present a short introduction to the film and moderate a community discussion following the screening.  A recipient of numerous awards and honors, Dr. Price chaired President Obama's transition team for the National Endowment for the Humanities.  Price teaches history at Rutgers and is published widely in African American history as well as American cultural policy and American urban history.  Additionally, Price, along with the late Giles R. Wright, founded the Marion Thompson Wright Lecture Series in 1981, which is now one the nation's longest running and most prestigious conference series devoted to enhancing public literacy in African American history.  He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from the University of Bridgeport and his doctoral degree from Rutgers University. He also holds honorary degrees from William Paterson University and Drew University.

The Library sincerely hopes the community will join us for this important screening and discussion.  The series and the dialog generated from it will provide the opportunity to meet people to exchange ideas. People should leave the Freedom Riders screening with a deeper understanding of civil rights history, as well as with ideas on how we can continue to evolve.