As I started reading the second part of March, Book Two, I realized how much hatred was still being spread despite everything people of color have already been through. The freedom riders relied on someone to drive them in the middle of the night when it was dark. They were dropped off right at the Tennessee state line by the driver. Which was designated “Klan country.” All of the freedom riders began walking and came across a house. They knocked on the door, hoping that someone would assist them and let them in. The kind people let them in and allowed them to call Dianne. The freedom riders, in my opinion, are extremely heroic. They fought valiantly and never surrendered, no matter what. The freedom riders were subjected to verbal and physical abuse, as well as jail time. Because word had gotten out that the freedom riders were returning, they had to take a detour in order to return safely. They had returned safely.  

During the reading, the police officers took away the mattress simply because the freedom riders were singing. Even while imprisoned, the freedom riders continued to advocate for themselves. They kept singing while their mattresses were being taken away.

This, I believe, can be applied to today because people of color face racism on a daily basis, just as they did back then. The goal of the freedom riders was to put an end to segregation. Just recently, the Black Lives Matter protest was launched in order to fight for equal treatment. It’s truly tragic that our society is still like this. Segregation began around 1865. I’m just baffled as to why people still act the same way they did back then. A skin color is a skin color to me. I’m embarrassed that others behave in this manner because of their skin color. It is literally the year 2022, and people have yet to change. I support black lives matter protests, but I despise the fact that people of color have to resort to such tactics in order to be treated fairly.