Charles Person facts for kids

Charles Person (born September 27, 1942 – died January 8, 2025) was an important African-American civil rights activist. He was the youngest person to join the Freedom Rides in 1961. Charles was born and grew up in Atlanta, Georgia. After finishing David Tobias Howard High School in 1960, he went to Morehouse College. The Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) chose him to be a Freedom Rider in 1961. His book, Buses Are a Comin': Memoir of a Freedom Rider, was published in 2021. Charles Person also helped start the Freedom Riders Training Academy. This program teaches people about peaceful ways to protest and how to use their First Amendment rights responsibly. Charles Person passed away on January 8, 2025, at 82 years old.

Early Life and Activism

Charles Person was born in Atlanta on September 27, 1942. His father worked at Emory University Hospital. Charles was very good at math and physics and hoped to become a scientist. In high school, he was part of his local NAACP Youth Council. In the fall of 1960, he started college at Morehouse College.

As a freshman at Morehouse, Charles became active in the civil rights movement. He joined a student group called the Atlanta Committee on Appeal for Human Rights. Charles was arrested for the first time in 1961 during a sit-in protest. He spent sixteen days in jail.

He once said about the sit-ins: "Once I got involved, it was infectious... My life revolved around it." He explained that he would do his homework while sitting at a lunch counter during protests. White people sometimes attacked the students with food or cigarette butts. They were also threatened with things like meat cleavers. The students used non-violent tactics, which made the attackers less interested in bothering them.

Charles's actions caught the attention of recruiters from the CORE. They were looking for a Freedom Rider from Atlanta. Since he was under 18, he needed a parent's permission. His mother said no because he hadn't told her about his civil rights work. But he was able to convince his father to sign the papers.

Joining the Freedom Rides

Charles Person was one of the original 13 Freedom Riders. They left Washington, D.C. on a Trailways bus on May 4, 1961. His first experience with the law happened in Charlotte, North Carolina. At the bus station, Charles wanted to get a shoe shine. He decided to sit in the "whites only" shoe-shine chair until his shoes were shined or he was arrested. A police officer arrived, and Charles chose to leave the chair to avoid being arrested.

The most difficult part of the journey for Charles happened in Alabama. As the Trailways bus left Atlanta, a group of white Klansmen got on board. They started making threats, saying things like, "You will be taken care of when you get in Alabama."

When the bus arrived in Anniston, Alabama, hours after another Freedom Ride bus (a Greyhound) had been burned, the Klansmen became violent. The Black riders refused to move to the back of the bus. One Klansman rushed Charles Person and punched him in the face. Another Klansman hit Herman Harris, who was sitting next to Charles. The Klansmen then dragged Charles and Herman, who were badly beaten, to the back of the bus. The bus driver, who had left during the fight, came back with a police officer. But the officer did nothing to help the riders. The bus then continued to Birmingham, Alabama.

In Birmingham, Charles Person and another Freedom Rider named James Peck were chosen to test the segregated rules at the bus station. James Peck remembered that when they arrived, they saw about twenty men with pipes, but no police officers. He later learned that the police chief, Bull Connor, said his officers were visiting their mothers for Mother's Day.

Charles and James got off the bus and tried to enter the "whites only" lunch counter. A mob attacked them. Charles was hit by a man with a lead pipe. James Peck was knocked unconscious very quickly. Charles managed to escape and found his way to Fred Shuttlesworth's church home. Charles did not fight back. He had chosen nonviolence as his way of life.

Freedom Riders Training Academy

After the murder of George Floyd, Charles Person called Pete Conroy. Charles was upset because he saw protests turning into riots with violence and damage. He felt that people didn't understand MLK's nonviolent ideas.

Charles said, "We've got to teach people how to protest legally, effectively and peacefully." Because of this, the Freedom Riders Training Academy launched on February 1, 2025. The academy's courses are based on the history of the Freedom Riders, CORE principles, and ways to calm down tense situations. It offers training for students, police officers, and people arrested during protests who can choose this program instead of other punishments.

Hoover's Program for Protesters

In 2024 and 2025, the City of Hoover, Alabama, became the first city to use the Freedom Riders Training Academy (FRTAcademy) as part of a special program. Nearly 80 people arrested during anti-police-violence protests were given a new choice. Instead of facing usual punishments, they took part in a program that taught them about peaceful protest and nonviolent resistance.

The idea for using FRTAcademy in Hoover came from Pete Conroy. He shared the idea with Charlie Waldrep, a prosecutor for Hoover, who saw how it could help with the many protest-related arrests. Instead of fines or community service, the FRTAcademy could teach protesters how to express their rights legally.

Susan Fuqua, Hoover's Court Director, quickly saw the benefit of educating first-time offenders. She worked with Nick Durgess, the Chief of Police for Hoover, who approved the program. They saw it as a good way to build trust in the community.

Richard Rice, a lawyer who worked for free, supported using the FRTAcademy. With his help, Brad Bishop, a Hoover judge, made the FRTAcademy part of the court's program before trials. If protesters successfully finished the training, their records were cleared, giving them a fresh start.

Jose Vega, who worked for the NYPD for 25 years and graduated from the FBI Academy, led the program. He taught the protesters about nonviolent resistance, their constitutional rights, and the power of peaceful protest. This new program not only helped the courts but also served as a way to improve justice, setting an example for other communities.