Experince With The Freedom Riders!!

     Recently my classmates and I visited the American History museum to hear about the experiences of the Freedom Riders. Before we left we watched a very informational documentary about the Freedom Riders to give us a little knowledge on who they were/are and the impacts they made in history. The movie was very emotional and was hard to watch at times but, I took in a lot from it. I learned that violence isn't always the way to go. As a matter of fact violence is never the way to go. They used non-violence to solve the issue that they had, they worked as a team and no matter how much people beat them and called them foul names in the end, they accomplished their goal. Which was to not only desegregate buses but to desegregate everything; lunch-counters, movie theaters, restrooms, water fountains etc. 


     After the movie we headed to the museum to attend an event titled the National Youth Summit: Freedom Rides. In this event I learned a lot and we actually got to be in the presence of hero's and shero's. One thing that I learned from this event was to forgive your enemies. Mr. John Lewis was beat by a man on May 9, 1961 and later in life that man came and apologized and Mr. John Lewis accepted his apology. That taught me as a young person in this society today to forgive but never forget. The future holds a lot and there is not time to waste hating someone. You have to move forward. That made a big impact on me to see someone who was beat forgive his abuser. So, that shows me if Mr. John Lewis learned to forgive than so can I.


     The Freedom Riders taught me so much that I can use in life today to live a more peaceful, non-violent life. Something that they taught me that I can apply to my own life is to never give up. If you feel so strongly about something than go for it! The Freedom Riders felt strongly about desegregating and as they worked together and stopped at no cause they accomplished their goal that they set. That shows me that I can also accomplish anything in life as long as I put my mind to it and strive towards it no matter what. Whether its in school or outside of school I am capable of doing anything I set my mind to. The best part about it was, that they used non-violence! :) People were so physically and verbally violent towards them but they mantained peace within themselves and didn't let that bring them down. That shows me personally what the power of non-viloence is. Two wrongs don't make a right and in the end they got what they worked so very hard for... Equality!! 

Go Freedom Riders!! :)