May 15th, 2011
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Author: BIRMINGHAM, Alabama — The hate that spurred the firebombing of the Freedom Riders’ bus 50 years ago is still relevant today, said speakers and panelists at a conference that kicked off Sunday at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute.
The conference, which continues Monday, is co-hosted by the institute and the FBI and is looking at hate crimes in the context of two events — that historic 1961 ride and the 2009 passage of federal anti-hate crimes legislation. BCRI President and CEO Lawrence J. Pijeaux Jr. said the goal was to spur dialogue and improve the community.
Speakers again and again referred back to the Freedom Riders, often gesturing to a giant photograph behind the podium of their Greyhound bus billowing smoke on a Calhoun County roadside. That picture and others are part of an exhibit at the institute called “Courage Under Fire.”
“Their sacrifices helped shape Birmingham and reshape this nation. That’s something we should never forget,” said Charles Long, executive assistant to Birmingham William Bell. “That’s why a conference like this is needed.”
On Monday, panelists will include local and national law enforcement experts, activists and educators. Topics include bullying, enforcement of hate crimes, and dealing with differences.
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