Former Greyhound Bus Station
210 South Court Street, Montgomery, Alabama

The Freedom Rides marked a turning point in our national history. The central part of that story happened here in Montgomery, Alabama. The goal of the 21 students who arrived at Montgomery’s Greyhound Bus Station on May 20, 1961 was to compel the U.S. Government to enforce Supreme Court decisions outlawing segregated transportation seating and facilities. Mob violence met the interracial student group and led the Kennedy Administration to issue a sweeping ruling that effectively ended segregation in interstate bus, train, and air transportation. The Freedom Rides continue to evoke the power of nonviolent protest to change unjust laws.

Award Winning Exterior Exhibit

An award-winning exhibit on the building’s exterior traces the Freedom Rides history. It uses the words and images of Freedom Riders, those who supported them, and those who opposed them. The interior of the building will open on a limited basis in May 2011.

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The Road to Equality: The 1961 Freedom Rides

For the 50th anniversary of the Freedom Rides in May 2011, the Alabama Historical Commission and the Alabama State Council on the Arts seek to select artists to create works of art that will commemorate, tell the story, and/or inform viewers about the history and importance of the 1961 Freedom Rides and the power of non-violent protest. We seek artists who are native to or working in areas along the Freedom Rides route—from Washington, D.C. and Nashville, Tenn. to Jackson, Miss.—or whose body of work addresses the struggle for equal rights in America.

There will be an honorarium for selected artists, whose work will be on exhibit in the former Greyhound Bus Station for a year.

Juror: Georgine Clarke, Visual Arts Program Manager, Alabama State Council on the Arts. Submission deadline: September 1, 2010.

Click here for the complete prospectus.

Status of the Museum

AHC has completed a restoration of the facade, which features two replicated neon Greyhound signs. The exterior exhibit attracts daily visitors. The U.S. General Services Administration owns the building. The Alabama Historical Commission holds a lease and is working with local groups and institutions to interpret the building and the Freedom Rides. The museum, which will open in May 2011, will have artwork interpreting the Freedom Rides and an interactive exhibit showing the events in Montgomery. We will include an area within the exhibit for Freedom Riders and the visitors to the museum to record their stories.

For more information contact Dorothy Walker at (334) 230-2665 or by email at dorothy.walker@preserveala.org.