Process Paper Although my school does not participate in History Day, I greatly anticipate the event as I have been

participating since sixth grade. Since it was the 50th anniversary of the Freedom Rides, I felt that the Freedom Rides embodied the elements of this years theme Revolution, Reaction, and Reform. The Freedom Rider movement transcended the traditional approach to civil rights taking the struggle out of the courtroom and into the streets and jails of the South. The Rides revolutionized the way people traveled in the South. Ultimately, my decision was impelled by my fascination with the Gandhian philosophy of non-violence practiced by the Freedom Riders. I started researching by borrowing books through interlibrary loans for basic information. During my break, I searched through newspaper, magazine, and photo archives at the Cleveland Public Library. In addition, I contacted various professors and authors whose expertise is African American history. A highlight of my research was attending The Freedom Riders Conversation an event hosted at Case Western Reserve University. There I met Reverend C.T. Vivian and Diane Nash, two prominent leaders during the Freedom Rides, and had an opportunity to speak with them. The header picture and some audio and video footage were taken by me during the event. I also came in contact with Mr. John L. Seigenthaler, chief negotiator from the Kennedy Administration, and Mr. Jim Zwerg, the only white male in the Nashville Freedom Rider group. Both men offered insightful details on the event, including how the Freedom Rides were a nonviolent revolution. I was also given the opportunity to interview Mr. George Houser, founding member of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), who organized the first Freedom Ride or the Journey of Reconciliation in 1947.

Though not tech savvy, I chose the website medium because it allowed me to present my topic through a multitude of angles: images, slideshows, and videos. I started incorporating information by typing out the narrative of my website into a word document. This was the most painstaking process. I uploaded the text and added visual and audio supplements to create a complete story. To edit pictures I used Adobe Photoshop and for video and audio clips I used Windows Movie Maker. The Freedom Rides became a symbol of the Civil Rights movement and offered courage and hope toward the fight for freedom. The movement proved to be significant during the civil rights era as it mobilized young African Americans across the country. Though the process was ugly and heart wrenching and produced bloodshed, The Freedom Rides harnessed attention toward the Civil Rights Movement. Because of the Freedom Riders nonviolent stance, they were able to reveal the cruelty and inhumanity of the Jim Crow laws and unmask the evil that segregation had on society. The Freedom Rides compelled the federal government to apply desegregation laws. The biggest reform was the desegregation of interstate transportation and facilities by the Interstate Commerce Commission. The Freedom Rides paved the way for the Civil Rights Act of 1964. This nonviolent revolution gave African-Americans a voice that would never be silenced again.