The Baton Rouge Bus Boycott: A Lengthy Fight For Rights

The Baton Rouge Bus Boycott of 1953 was a protest against the segregated seating system on city buses. African-American residents, who made up about 80% of the ridership, were forced to sit in the back of the bus, even when the front of the bus was empty. The boycott lasted for eight days, from June 19 to June 25, and ended when the city passed Ordinance 251, which directed that black riders would fill the bus from the rear forward and whites from the front toward the back, with the front two seats reserved for whites and the long rear seat for Blacks.

The boycott began on June 19, 1953, and lasted eight days

The Baton Rouge Bus Boycott of 1953 was a protest against the unfair treatment of African Americans on the city's buses. The boycott began on June 19, 1953, and lasted eight days. This was the first bus boycott in America by African Americans.

African Americans made up about 80% of the bus riders in Baton Rouge in the early 1950s. Despite paying the same fare as white passengers, they were forced to sit or stand in the backs of buses, even when the front seats reserved for whites were empty. This was due to the Jim Crow laws, which enforced segregation and restricted Black riders to the "colored" section of the bus.

The protest was led by Reverend T.J. Jemison, pastor of Mount Zion Baptist, one of the city's largest Black churches. On June 19, 1953, Jemison and Raymond Scott, a Black tailor, announced on the radio that a boycott of the bus system would begin the next morning. They urged all African Americans to refrain from riding the buses and promised free rides for those who participated.

The boycott was highly effective, with no Black passengers riding the buses and all taking advantage of the free ride vehicles or walking. The sense of community during the boycott was strong, with thousands attending nightly meetings and contributing money to support the cause.

After six days of boycotting the buses, the city passed Ordinance 251, which directed that Black riders would fill the bus from the rear forward, and whites from the front toward the back. Blacks and whites were prohibited from sitting next to each other, and the front two seats were reserved for whites only. The long rear seat was designated for Black riders.

The boycott ended on June 25, 1953, after eight days. While it lasted less than two weeks, the Baton Rouge Bus Boycott set a precedent for similar protests and inspired civil rights leaders across the South, including Martin Luther King Jr., who later applied the lessons learned from this boycott to the Montgomery Bus Boycott in Alabama.

It was the first bus boycott in America by Black people

The Baton Rouge Bus Boycott was the first bus boycott in America by Black people. It lasted for eight days, from June 19 to June 25, 1953, and was a protest against the segregated seating system on city buses. At the time, Black people made up about 80% of the ridership, yet they were forced to sit in the back of the bus or stand, even when the front seats reserved for whites were empty.

The boycott was led by Reverend T.J. Jemison, pastor of Mount Zion Baptist, one of the city's largest Black churches. In February 1953, Jemison denounced the fare increase and asked the city council to end the practice of reserved seating. As a result, the council passed Ordinance 222, which allowed for seating on a first-come-first-served basis, with Blacks sitting from the rear and whites from the front. However, the bus drivers refused to enforce this ordinance, and it was eventually overturned by the Louisiana Attorney General, declaring it unconstitutional due to existing segregation laws.

In response, the Black community organized a mass boycott of the buses, with free carpools and taxis set up to transport people during the boycott. The boycott was highly effective, and within four days, the bus company was facing financial collapse. This sense of community and solidarity extended beyond the boycott, with thousands attending nightly meetings and raising money to support the cause.

The boycott ended on June 24, 1953, when the city passed Ordinance 251, which directed that Blacks would fill the bus from the rear, and whites from the front, with the two front seats reserved for whites and the long rear seat for Blacks. While some felt that Jemison capitulated too quickly, the boycott made national headlines and inspired civil rights leaders across the country, including Martin Luther King Jr., who later applied the lessons from Baton Rouge to the seminal Montgomery Bus Boycott in 1955.

Reverend T.J. Jemison led the boycott

Reverend T.J. Jemison was the leader of the Baton Rouge Bus Boycott, which took place in 1953. He was a young and bold newcomer to the city, having been hired in 1949 as the pastor of Mt. Zion First Baptist Church, the largest Black church in Louisiana. His father was the president of the National Baptist Convention, an influential African-American organization with over six million members.

Jemison's involvement in the boycott began when he witnessed buses passing his church with Black people standing in the aisles, unable to sit in seats reserved for whites. He denounced the unfair treatment of Black bus passengers, who made up 80% of riders, at a meeting of the city-parish council in February 1953. He asked the council to end the practice of reserved seating, and they voted to amend the seating code to allow African Americans to sit in the front seats if they did not occupy the same seat or sit in front of a white passenger. This new law, Ordinance 222, was passed without a dissenting vote and was set to go into effect on March 19.

However, Ordinance 222 went unenforced for nearly three months as bus drivers refused to comply. In early June, African Americans demanded enforcement after a bus driver manhandled a Black woman who tried to sit in a reserved seat. Bus company officials ordered their drivers to comply, but the drivers responded by going on strike to protest the ordinance. After four days, the Louisiana Attorney General overturned the ordinance, declaring it unconstitutional due to its conflict with existing segregation laws.

Angered by this ruling, African Americans formed the United Defense League (UDL) with Jemison as president. On June 19, 1953, Jemison and Raymond Scott, a Black tailor, announced on the radio that a boycott of the bus system would begin the next day. The boycott was extremely effective, with no Black passengers riding the buses and all taking advantage of free rides in private vehicles.

The boycott lasted for six to eight days and ended when the city passed Ordinance 251, which directed that Black riders would fill the bus from the rear forward, and whites from the front toward the back, with Blacks and whites prohibited from sitting next to each other. The front two seats were reserved for whites, and the long rear seat was for Blacks. While some African Americans wanted to continue the boycott, Jemison called it off, arguing that they had achieved their goal of obtaining seats.

The Baton Rouge Bus Boycott served as a template for similar protests, including the famous 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott led by Martin Luther King Jr., who consulted with Jemison about tactics. The boycott in Baton Rouge demonstrated the power of direct, peaceful protest and the important role of religious leaders in the Civil Rights Movement. It also showed that change was possible and served as a stepping stone toward significant social revolutions.

The boycott was a protest against the segregated seating system on city buses

The Baton Rouge Bus Boycott was a protest against the city's segregated seating system on buses. In 1953, African Americans in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, organised the first large-scale boycott of a southern city's segregated bus system. The protest lasted for eight days, from June 19 to June 25, 1953.

At the time, African Americans made up about 80% of the ridership on city buses in Baton Rouge. Under Jim Crow laws, they were forced to sit in the back of the bus, even when the front seats were empty. This was a daily reminder of the hold that white supremacy had over their lives. The fight for equal seating rights began quietly on February 11, 1953, when Reverend T.J. Jemison, the pastor of Mount Zion Baptist Church, denounced the unfair treatment and asked the city council to end the practice of reserved seating.

On March 19, 1953, the city council passed Ordinance 222, which allowed for a first-come-first-served seating arrangement, with Blacks sitting from the rear and whites from the front. However, the bus drivers, who were all white, refused to enforce this ordinance and went on strike. After four days, the Louisiana Attorney General overturned the ordinance, declaring it unconstitutional due to its conflict with existing segregation laws. This angered the Black community, and they decided to take action by forming the United Defense League (UDL).

On June 19, Jemison and Raymond Scott, a Black tailor, announced on the radio that a boycott of the bus system would begin the next day, offering free rides to boycott participants. The boycott was extremely effective, with no Black passengers riding the buses and all taking advantage of the free-ride vehicles or walking. The sense of community during the boycott was strong, with thousands attending nightly meetings and contributing money for gasoline for the free-ride system.

After six days, the boycott ended when the city passed Ordinance 251, which directed that Blacks would fill the bus from the rear, and whites from the front, with Blacks and whites prohibited from sitting next to each other. The front two seats were reserved for whites, and the long rear seat was for Blacks. While some protesters wanted to continue the boycott until complete desegregation was achieved, Jemison called it off, arguing that they had achieved their initial goal of obtaining seats.

The Baton Rouge Bus Boycott was a significant event in the Civil Rights Movement, serving as a template for similar protests, including the famous 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott led by Martin Luther King Jr. It demonstrated the power of direct, peaceful protest and the important role that religious leaders could play in organising such actions. It also showed that change was possible and served as a stepping stone towards one of the most significant social revolutions in history.

The boycott inspired the Montgomery Bus Boycott

The Baton Rouge Bus Boycott lasted for six to eight days in June 1953. It was the first bus boycott in America by Black people and is believed to be the first-ever organised protest of Jim Crow laws in the South. The boycott was a response to the unfair treatment of Black bus passengers, who made up 70-80% of riders but were forced to sit in the back of the bus, even when the front was empty.

The success of the Baton Rouge Bus Boycott in making national headlines and its impact on civil rights leaders across the South served as a blueprint for the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Reverend King specifically took interest in the Baton Rouge boycott's free car ride system, which was later studied and replicated in Montgomery.

The Baton Rouge Bus Boycott also set a precedent for similar protests across the South and demonstrated that direct, peaceful protest could be effective when well-organised and universally supported by the Black community. It showed that Black people in the South were no longer willing to accept white supremacy and the injustices of Jim Crow laws.

The boycott's impact extended beyond transportation issues, inspiring residents to mobilise around other civil rights issues, such as securing the right to vote. The emergence of religious leaders, like Reverend T.J. Jemison, as protest organisers also marked a shift in the battle for civil rights, which had previously been largely waged in the courts.

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