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Charles Person, Original Freedom Rider and Dedicated U.S. Marine, Dies at 82

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Civil Rights icon and original Freedom Rider Charles Person passed away on January 8, 2025. (Pete Conroy/bhamnow.com)

By Barnett Wright | The Birmingham Times

Charles Person, a pivotal figure in the Civil Rights Movement as the youngest of the original Freedom Riders, and a dedicated U.S. Marine, passed away peacefully on Jan. 8 at his home in Fayetteville, Georgia. He was 82.

One of the original 13 Freedom Riders, Person and his fellow Riders were brutally beaten on Mother’s Day, May 14, 1961, at the downtown Birmingham Greyhound terminal by a mob of Klansman while the police watched.

After that day, Person continued to work on various Civil Rights and justice initiatives and would play a role in the creation of the Freedom Riders National Monument in 2017.

“Charles was not only my life partner but a tireless advocate for justice and equality,” said his wife, Jo Etta Person, according to bhamnow.com. “His passion for nonviolence, peace, and education touched countless lives. Although he is no longer with us, his legacy lives on through the Freedom Riders Training Academy and the lasting change he inspired.”

Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin called Person “a giant in the Civil Rights movement.”

“I join the City of Birmingham in mourning the passing of my Morehouse brother Charles Person … His dedication to equality and nonviolence continued well into the present day, when he co-founded the Freedom Riders Training Academy (FRTA), teaching a new generation of activists civic engagement and how to uplift our people.

“His legacy will always be defined by his immeasurable courage. He stood firm so that we may be able to experience the joys of freedom. Rest well,” Woodfin said.

In recent years, Person co-founded the Freedom Riders Training Academy (FRTA) that teaches the principles of nonviolent resistance, civic engagement, and the protection of constitutional rights. (FILE)

The Freedom Rides

Enrolling in Atlanta’s Morehouse College in 1960, Person participated in numerous lunch counter sit-ins, enduring a 16-day jail sentence for his activism. His involvement caught the attention of Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) recruiters seeking a Freedom Rider to represent Atlanta.

The Freedom Rides aimed to challenge segregation in interstate travel, despite earlier Supreme Court decisions declaring it illegal.

At age 18, Person was the youngest Civil Rights Freedom Rider in 1961 and was one of the first 13 riders to encounter violence as his Trailways bus entered Alabama.

The response was immediate and violent in Anniston, Alabama, where a white mob firebombed one of the buses. In Birmingham, Person and fellow riders faced brutal attacks by Klansmen and a white mob, with local doctors refusing to treat the injured Black riders. Person’s wounds were life-threatening, but a nurse with the Rev. Fred L. Shuttleworth’s Bethel Baptist Church saved him.

The Freedom Rides persisted, garnering national attention and ultimately leading to the Interstate Commerce Commission’s order to end segregation in public transportation.

When Person returned home, his mother said, “You should join the Army. It would be safer.” Instead, he joined the Marine Corps where he went on to serve a 20-year-old career serving in Vietnam in 1965-1966 at Chu Lai south of Danang.

Principles Of Non-Violent Resistance

In recent years, Person co-founded the Freedom Riders Training Academy (FRTA) with Pete Conroy, a civil rights advocate from Anniston. The academy teaches the principles of nonviolent resistance, civic engagement, and the protection of constitutional rights, drawing on the teachings of the original Freedom Riders, Mahatma Gandhi, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

A pilot program in Hoover allowed 80 people who were arrested during demonstrations in 2018 to complete the FRTA curriculum as part of an alternative sentencing program. Pro bono attorney Richard Rice, representing those arrested, reached an agreement with the Hoover Municipal Court officials creating an alternative to traditional sentencing.

The innovative program helps reduce court caseloads and provides a meaningful opportunity for justice reform, serving as a model for communities nationwide.

The FRTA will officially launch in February. It will offer training for demonstrators, students, and law enforcement to promote peaceful protest, understanding, and reconciliation.

Person’s memoir Buses Are a Comin’: Memoir of a Freedom Rider published in 2021.

For more information about the Freedom Riders Training Academy, visit www.FRTAcademy.org on February 1, 2025.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to support the development of the Freedom Riders Park and the Freedom Riders Training Academy, which will continue Charles’ mission. Donations can be made to the Community Foundation of Northeast Alabama.