Mount Olive College students, faculty, staff, and members of the community are invited to preview the upcoming PBS Special Freedom Riders. The event will take place Tuesday, April 19, at 7:00 PM in the Southern Bank Auditorium of Raper Hall.

The documentary chronicles the historic months from May to December of 1961 as 400 black and white Americans, known as the Freedom Riders, risked their lives as they traveled through the Deep South. In an effort to challenge the segregation of travel services, the Freedom Riders endured beatings, imprisonment, racism, and violence while bravely practicing their belief in non-violent activism. Produced by Stanley Nelson and Laurens Grant, the special is based on Raymond Aresenault?s book Freedom Riders: 1961 and the Struggle for Racial Justice. The special will officially premier on PBS May 16, 2011, marking the 50th anniversary of these historic rides.

Audiences are invited to enjoy a one-hour preview of Freedom Riders, with a Question and Answer session to follow. For more information on the event, contact Pam Wood, director of Library Services, at 919-658-7753 or pwood@moc.edu. For more information on the PBS Special Freedom Riders, visit www.unctv.org.