The Brief
- Charles Person, the youngest of the original 13 Freedom Riders, has died at 82. Person was only 18 when he joined.
- In 1961, the Freedom Riders challenged racial segregation in the deep South by riding interstate buses into segregated areas. The original group consisted of 13 Black and white people, including former Georgia Rep. John Lewis.
- Despite the violence and hostility the groups faced, they didn’t give in to fear. Their efforts influenced the Interstate Commerce Commission to issue an order that removed “Whites Only” and “Colored Only” signs from bus terminals across the country.
- In lieu of flowers, Person’s family asks that donations be made in his name to the Freedom Riders Park Non-Endowed Fund.
FAYETTEVILLE, Ga. – Charles Person, an Atlanta native known as the youngest of the original 13 Freedom Riders, has died at 82. He passed away peacefully at his Fayetteville home surrounded by loved ones.
Person was born Sept. 27, 1942. He was a key figure in the Civil Rights Movement, celebrated for his unwavering commitment to justice, equality, and nonviolent activism. He was also a Vietnam War veteran who retired from the U.S. Marine Corps in 1981.
After retirement, he worked with the Atlanta Public School System as an electronics technician.…