Simply Superior, April 8, 2022

This week on “Simply Superior,” we honor the 75th anniversary of the journey that helped lay the groundwork for the Civil Rights Movement. On April 9-23, 1947, a courageous group of interracial activists boarded Southern buses and trains to challenge local segregation laws – 14 years before the more famous Freedom Rides of 1961. They sought to force the Southern states to abide by a Supreme Court ruling the year before that had outlawed segregation in interstate transportation – only to be met with arrests, a physical attack, and ultimately, 30 days on a chain gang.

Their story has become the lifework of show host Robin Washington, who nearly 50 years later brought the survivors together for a reunion retracing their trip filmed for the acclaimed PBS television documentary, “You Don’t Have to Ride Jim Crow!” The primary source footage from that program has now been re-edited and re-narrated in this new adaptation for radio.

Also, could Broadway be the next stop? Twin Ports song and stage favorites Gabe Mayfield, Dante Pirtle and Ryan Frane presented a black-box theatrical performance of three show tunes created from the documentary score several years ago, reimagining the story as historical and inspiring entertainment.