Work, Sacrifice and Courage
National Park Service, Freedom Riders National Monument, Anniston, Alabama
As a member of the Southern Custom Exhibits project team, Therese Huffman crafted means and methods of approaching interpretive exhibits to tell the story of the work, sacrifice, and courage of the “Freedom Riders”, who challenged racial segregation in the South and brought national attention to the brutal realities.
Services
Exhibit Design
Graphic Design
Interactive Kiosk Design
Production Documents
Design Approach
In the spring of 1961, small interracial bands of “Freedom Riders” set out to challenge discriminatory state laws and local customs that required that races be separated on buses and in bus station facilities like waiting areas, lunch counters, and restrooms.
These groups organized more than 50 Freedom Rides that crisscrossed the South in 1961. These rides met resistance from southern segregationists who viciously attacked the Freedom Riders on several occasions.
Our design approach is to place interpretive experiences at various sites within The Freedom Riders National Monument. Our goal is to foster reconciliation and racial healing by commemorating the stories, places, and people involved in the 1961 Freedom Rides, a nonviolent campaign that brought national attention to the brutal reality of segregation in the South and forced the federal government to take action toward ending segregation in interstate travel.
