According to The New York Times, Charles Person, the youngest of the 13 original Freedom Riders who traveled from Washington to Birmingham, Alabama, in 1961 to challenge segregation in interstate bus terminals, died on Wednesday, January 8, at his home in Fayetteville, Georgia. He was 82.
His daughter, Keisha Person, confirmed the cause was leukemia.
At 18, Person was a freshman at Morehouse College when he joined the Freedom Riders. Despite facing brutal attacks, he remained committed to nonviolent resistance. Their efforts led to federal orders desegregating interstate bus terminals.
A Vietnam veteran and later a civil rights activist, Person co-authored “Buses Are a Comin’” in 2022. He is survived by his wife, children, siblings, and grandchildren.
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