On May 14, 1961, a Greyhound bus carrying interracial Freedom Riders was firebombed by a white mob in Anniston, Alabama. The Freedom Riders—Black and white activists—were challenging segregation on interstate buses in the Deep South. As they traveled through Alabama, their presence provoked outrage. In Anniston, the bus was surrounded, its tires slashed, and a firebomb thrown inside. The mob held the doors shut to trap the riders inside, but a federal undercover agent’s pistol helped force the doors open. The riders barely escaped with their lives. Images of the smoldering bus shocked the nation and drew international attention. The attack underscored the brutality of Jim Crow and catalyzed federal intervention in civil rights cases. May 14 stands as a harrowing reminder of the price paid for justice and the courage of those who refused to be silenced.

On May 12, 1961, a racially integrated group of Freedom Riders traveling through the South were violently attacked by a white mob in Anniston, Alabama. Sponsored by the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), the Freedom Riders were testing the Supreme Court\’s ruling that desegregated interstate bus travel. When their Greyhound bus arrived in Anniston, it was surrounded, its tires slashed, and eventually firebombed just outside the city. Riders escaped the flames only to be brutally beaten by the mob. This event shocked the world and marked a turning point in the Civil Rights Movement, drawing national media attention and prompting federal action. The courage of the Freedom Riders inspired many others to join the struggle against segregation. Their sacrifices laid the groundwork for the eventual desegregation of public transportation in the United States.