Freedom Riders, PBS

Wow, I forgot this was coming on.  What a great documentary.  So powerful.  The Civil Rights Movement could only gain that much steam with the power of cameras and television.   Unfortunately, I missed parts, so I'll have to come back and watch it online:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/freedomriders/watch

Here are some key points that caught my attention:

1.  There is a segment where the story of the Riders is broadcast in the Communist Bloc.  This is intriguing, because it put the abstract ideals America stands for in stark contrast a concrete reality shown to the world.  That was a Cold War blow, and it is often something overlooked. 

2.  The prison system where the riders were sentenced, and the labor they were pressed in to for their challenging the system.  Wow. The chain gang is an interesting experience. 

3.  Robert F. Kennedy (Archival):

"A great change is at hand, and our task, our obligation is to make that revolution, that change, peaceful and constructive for all. Those who do nothing are inviting shame as well as violence. Those who act boldly are recognizing right as well as reality."   -- Wow.   I am called to act.  How do I act like I didn't hear this? 

 

I am curious what others thought of the show.