MAKING HISTORY: Presentation & Booksigning
February 21, 2010 - 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM
Join us when Eric Etheridge and local Freedom Rider, Rev. LeRoy Wright make history come alive at this very special event at ArtRage.
In the spring and summer of 1961, several hundred Americans—blacks and whites, men and women—converged on Jackson, Mississippi, to challenge state segregation laws. The Freedom Riders, as they came to be known, were determined to open up the South to civil rights. Over 300 people were arrested and convicted of the charge “breach of the peace.”
Local Syracuse resident Rev. LeRoy Glenn Wright, was a 19 year-old student at Fisk University in Nashville, Tennesee when the Freedom Riders came through town. Wright had already participated in actions to integrate public accomodations such as lunch counters, movie house and hotels in Tenesee. His inspiration to “get on the bus” was the courage he witnessed when a group of young Freedom Riders who has just come from a bus which was firebombed in Birmingham, Alabama decided to continue their mission with or without governmental protection. Come hear the rest of Rev. Wright’s experiences at this event!
MEET THE ARTIST!Eric Etheridge’s book and current ArtRage exhibit, BREACH OF PEACE, collects the mug shots of those arrested and juxtaposes them with present-day photographs of the Riders and their recollections about the experience.He will be on hand to give us a presentation and a look into the passion behind this important project. He will also be signing copies of his book. Don’t miss it!
This event is free to the public.