Journey of Reconciliation

It's not often that I get to cross-post entries to my work blog (here) and my local politics blog (in Chapel Hill, NC), but I am thrilled to do so today!

On Monday night, local activist and historian Dr. Yonni Chapman, PhD petitioned the Chapel Hill Town Council to support the Chapel Hill-Carrboro NAACP's effort to have a historical marker placed at the location of the former bus station that was visited by Bayard Rustin and others during the 1947 Journey of Reconciliation, which is now known as "the first freedom ride." What follows is an excerpt of his presentation (PDF). I recommend reading the proposal which has more context and details.

This is a really great story, and I am especially proud of the amount of support the riders saw from Rev. Charles Jones and other progressives in Chapel Hill, although it was in the face of some well-connected racists, from the bus driver to the judge, who made sure that Rustin and his supporters paid a price for challenging white privilege.