Appendix: Roster of Freedom Riders 537
Nashville, TN, via Birmingham, AL, to
Montgomery, AL, May 17–21, 1961
Name Race Sex Age Residence Occupation or Status
BARBEE, WILLIAM
no
B M 19 Nashville, TN Student, Tennessee State Univ.
Born and raised in Nashville, TN. Active in the Nashville sit-in movement, 1961–1964.
Injuries suffered in the Montgomery anti–Freedom Rider riot led to an early death. Died in
Nashville in the early 1980s.
BROOKS, PAUL
o
B M 22 East St. Louis, IL Student, American Baptist
Theological Seminary
Born on February 28, 1939, in East St. Louis, IL. Parents from De Kalb, MS. Married
Freedom Rider Catherine Burks in Monroe, NC, in August 1961; separated in 1985. SNCC
and SCLC activist and editor of Mississippi Free Press in Jackson 1962–1963. Raised funds
for the movement in Chicago, 1964. Returned to ABT in 1964 but did not finish. After
moving to Detroit in 1965, he invented the Afro-pick comb and later opened a successful
comb factory. During the 1970s he lived in Nassau, Bahamas, with frequent commutes to
Detroit. Died in 1989 at the age of 50. See chapter 10.
BURKS, CATHERINE
o
B F 21 Birmingham, AL Student, Tennessee State Univ.
Born near Selma, AL, and raised in Birmingham. Married Freedom Rider Paul Brooks.
Active in Mississippi movement and co-editor of Mississippi Free Press, 1962–1963. Taught
elementary school in Chicago, 1964. Worked as social worker in Detroit, 1965–1966.
Later ran successful Afro boutique specializing in African jewelry and clothing. Lived in
Bahamas in 1970s before moving to Birmingham in 1979. District sales manager for Avon
cosmetics, 1982–1998. Currently a substitute schoolteacher in Birmingham.
BUSH, CARL B M 19 Nashville, TN Student, Tennessee State Univ.
BUTLER, CHARLES
o
B M 20 Charleston, SC Student, Tennessee State Univ.
Grew up in Charleston, SC.
CARTER, JOSEPH B M 22 Brooklyn, NY Student, American Baptist
Theological Seminary
Formed the Nashville Quartet along with James Bevel, Bernard Lafayette, and Samuel
Collier to write and perform freedom songs.
CASON, ALLEN, JR.
o
B M 19 Orlando, FL Student, Tennessee State Univ.
Born and raised in Orlando, FL.
COLLINS, LUCRETIA
o
B F 21 El Paso, TX Student, Tennessee State Univ.
Born and raised in Augusta, GA. Lived in El Paso, TX, where her stepfather was serving in
the army. Graduate of Tennessee State Univ. (B.A., 1961). Lived in NY City (1961–1963)
before spending 6 years abroad (1963-1969) in Africa and Italy, where she worked as an
actress. Lived in NY City since 1969, working as a stage actress. Affiliated with ACRES, a
NY-based organization that conducts civil rights educational tours. Married name: Lucretia
Collins Gray.
GRAHAM, RUDOLPH B M 20 Chattanooga, TN Student, Tennessee State Univ.
Grew up in Chattanooga, TN.
HARBOUR, WILLIAM
o
B M 19 Piedmont, AL Student, Tennessee State Univ.
See epilogue. Born in Piedmont, AL. Oldest of eight children. Taught school in Blakely,
GA, 1964. Moved to Atlanta in 1969. Longtime federal employee, first with the Community
Relations Service and later as a civilian employee of the U.S. Army specializing in base