Freedom Riders, Armed Self-Defense, and the Civil Rights Movement

2:00 PM - 4:00 PM
Robert W. Saunders, Sr.
Ada T. Payne Community Room B

Event Details

In Monroe, North Carolina, back in 1961 a group of Freedom Riders joined with local youth to protest segregation in this small town that had a significant Ku Klux Klan presence.  But, it just happened that Monroe was also home to Robert F. Williams, an NAACP president who advocated armed Black self-defense, and what was meant to have been a non-violent protest, instead resulted in a brutal riot and later injustice. In the immediate aftermath of these events, Dr. John Hartman joined the protests in Monroe.  He will describe what he witnessed, and offer an assessment of the role of self-defense in the non-violent movement.


Event Type(s): Adult Program
Age Group(s): All Ages