The Freedom Riders drew national and international attention to the segregation of transportation services in the United States, eventually prompting new regulations that outlawed segregation in interstate transit terminals.
The Freedom Rides of 1961 were carried out by white and black activists, men and women, and were organized by the Congress for Racial Equality (CORE). A 1960 Supreme Court decision had determined that segregation of transportation terminals was unconstitutional. The Freedom Riders meant to test that by having black riders enter whites-only areas of terminals, including lunch counters, restrooms and waiting rooms. There were reactions of violence against the Freedom Riders, but their persistence and the publicity generated resulted in new anti-segregation rules for interstate travel terminals, issued by the Interstate Commerce Commission in the fall of 1961.