Ray Arsenault, Diane Nash, and John Seigenthaler at a White House panel on the legal legacy of the Freedom Rides

DC-area law students and civil rights leaders gathered at the White House on October 19^th for a screening of the award-winning Freedom Riders documentary and a panel discussion on the legal legacy of the 1961 Freedom Rides.

Freedom Riders, by filmmaker Stanley Nelson, tells the story of the more than 400 black and white civil rights activists who challenged segregation in interstate travel in the American South in the spring and summer of 1961. The documentary, which recently won three Emmy awards, was produced by WGBH and PBS’ American Experience with a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities to commemorate the 50^th anniversary of the historic rides.

Hosted by the White House Office of Engagement, the film screening preceded a panel discussion on the civil rights issues and body of law illuminated by the film. The three panelists were: Ray Arsenault, author of the book the Freedom Riders: 1961 and the Struggle for Racial Justice on which the documentary was based; Diane Nash, the student leader who coordinated busloads of activists traveling into the Jim Crow South; and John Seigenthaler, who, as special assistant to Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, served as the intermediary between the federal government, the Freedom Riders, and the segregationist state officials who arrested and imprisoned Freedom Riders and refused to enforce Supreme Court rulings mandating desegregation in interstate travel facilities.

Veterans of the 1961 Freedom Rides—Rev.Perry Smith, Joan Mulholland, and Paul Green—recognized at the White House panel.

Freedom Rider Diane Nash with DC-area law students.

In attendance were several veterans of the 1961 Freedom Rides, leaders of the American Bar Association and the American Constitution Society for Law and Policy, and law students from American University, Catholic University, Georgetown University, George Mason University, George Washington University, Howard University, and the University of D.C.

The Freedom Riders screening and discussion was the first of a series of “Bridging Cultures Through Law” events, an outreach program developed by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the American Bar Association for students of law and government. The “Bridging Cultures Through Law” series uses NEH-supported films to enrich future lawyers’ and lawmakers’ understanding of jurisprudence in its historical context, and to promote examination of the relationship between American law and American society.

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About the National Endowment for the Humanities

Created in 1965 as an independent federal agency, the National Endowment for the Humanities supports learning in history, literature, philosophy, and other areas of the humanities. Additional information about the National Endowment for the Humanities and its grant programs is available at www.neh.gov.

Media Contact: Paula Wasley at (202) 606-8424 or pwasley@neh.gov