Fact #60877

The Journey of Reconciliation, the first interracial Freedom Ride, begins through the Southern states of the USA in violation of Jim Crow laws. The freedom riders wanted enforcement of the United States Supreme Court's 1946 Irene Morgan decision which had banned racial segregation in interstate travel. The riders will compose songs to comfort and give them strength during these dark times. Also, songwriters will subsequently be inspired to write songs about incidents associated with Freedom Riders, notably He Was My Brother by Paul Simon. The 1947 Freedom Riders will also inspire subsequent Freedom Rides, most memorably in the early 1960s.