Honoring Those Who Rode for Equality

In 1961, 14 Tennessee State University students became Freedom Riders, putting their lives on the line by riding on buses in the heart of the Jim Crow South as a protest against racial segregation in interstate transportation. They ended up being thrown in jail and expelled from school.
Now, 47 years later, TSU has made amends with the former students by awarding them honorary degrees and welcoming them into the alma mater at a ceremony yesterday, The Tennessean reported. The 10 living Freedom Riders and family members representing the deceased were present.
According to The Tennessean, the board of regents originally refused to give approval for the honorary doctorates last spring, but then reversed its initial decision a few weeks later after receiving widespread public criticism.