On January 12, 2017, six Freedom Riders visited Judson High School and gave juniors and seniors an insight on what they dealt with during the 1960s.

“[We] pursued the idea of freedom in a very special way with non-violence,” one of the speakers said. “You have an opportunity to be leaders. I know there are gonna be some leaders [in here]. I can tell by the group.”

The group of inspiring fighters discussed many things in life that play key roles to help shape and mold a person. For them, it was their time fighting for civil rights.

“It’s so much of who I am,” speaker Fred Anderson said. “It shook the course of my life.”

They also discussed their thoughts on the nation and how involved we need to be as young people.

“I think we are in a bad spot,” speaker Patricia Dilworth said. “Please keep yourself involved to make sure that the things we’ve gained over the years we do not lose. We have to go forward in what we do.”

The speakers wanted to make sure that students never forget where it is that we have come from, and make sure that we never let it go unnoticed.

“Yes, we fought a great fight,” speaker Barbara Bowie said. “There are laws on our side right now. But you need to understand that if you don’t know the history, you don’t know what we did and the ones before us. Then, you don’t have a direction. We want to keep the history alive.”

With the country in a extreme state of divisiveness, it is very scary to think that everything that they have worked so hard for may be lost.

“We are supposed to be, ‘We The People.’ [We have to remember] whatever is wrong about the country or good about the country, we are powerful,” speaker MacArthur Cotton said.

They left the group of students with a few inspirational thoughts.

“Get your feet in the door through education.”