Description

Photograph of the leaders of the movement to desegregate the bus system in Atlanta, Georgia gathered in the office of Rev. William Holmes Borders (seated) at Wheat Street Baptist Church. From left, Rev. R. B. Shorts, Rev. R. Joseph Johnson, Rev. Howard T. Bussey, and Rev. Ray Williams.Following the 1956 U.S. Supreme Court decision desegregating buses in Montgomery, Alabama, for example, Atlanta's black leadership launched the Love, Law, and Liberation (or Triple L) Movement in order to force the desegregation of Atlanta's public transportation system. Under Borders's leadership, the group notified Mayor William Hartsfield of its intention to violate municipal statutes by riding at the front of city buses and requested the mayor's support in facilitating a peaceful arrest. Because he sought to protect Atlanta's reputation for harmonious race relations, Hartsfield agreed.

Record Contributed By

New Georgia Encyclopedia

Record Harvested From

Digital Library of Georgia