The local chapter of the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) was one of the most active civil rights groups in the region during the early 1960s. Led largely by students and young activists, New Orleans CORE participated in nonviolent, direct action protests and registered voters across Louisiana. Those protests included “Freedom Rides,” where Black and white activists rode buses and visited terminals together throughout the South to challenge segregation in interstate travel facilities. In this

On this day in 1947, the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) launched the Journey of Reconciliation—one of the first Freedom Rides. Sixteen Black and white activists traveled through the South to test a Supreme Court ruling that struck down segregation on interstate buses. Their two-week journey laid the groundwork for the Freedom Rides of the 1960s. LDF is thankful for their bravery and continues their work of advancing racial justice nearly 80 years later. | The Legal Defense Fund