Helen Singleton facts for kids

Helen Singleton, born on November 27, 1932, is an important activist from the Civil Rights Movement. She is best known for being a Freedom Rider in Jackson, Mississippi. Freedom Riders were brave people who rode buses into segregated Southern states to challenge unfair laws.

Helen's Early Life and Journey to Activism

Helen Irene Williams was born in Philadelphia on November 27, 1932. She grew up with eight brothers and sisters. Her family often spent summer vacations at her grandparents' farm in Virginia.

During these trips, Helen saw how unfair segregation was. Segregation meant that Black people and white people were kept separate, often with Black people having fewer rights and worse facilities. Helen remembered feeling her mother's tiredness and the tension during these trips. She saw stores where Black people couldn't shop on certain days. These experiences made a big impact on her and inspired her to fight for change later in life.

In 1955, while studying at Santa Monica College, Helen married Robert Singleton. She later went to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), where she earned a degree in fine arts in 1974. She also earned a master's degree in public administration in 1985 from Loyola Marymount University.

After college, Helen worked at UCLA, helping to create new courses and special programs. She also worked as a consultant for different arts groups. Helen retired in 1999 and lives in Inglewood, California, with her husband. She still gives talks about her experiences as a Freedom Rider.

Fighting for Change: The Freedom Rides

Helen Singleton's activism began in the summer of 1961. She became a Freedom Rider with a group of students from UCLA and other colleges in Los Angeles. Her husband, Robert Singleton, helped organize this group.

The Freedom Rider movement was a way to test unfair laws that separated people in travel places like bus stations. This was a form of non-violent civil disobedience, which means protesting peacefully without using violence, to bring about social change.

Helen and Robert Singleton were arrested on July 30, 1961. They were sent to Parchman Penitentiary near Jackson, Mississippi.

In a 2010 film called Freedom Riders, Helen shared details about her arrest:

• The police made sure the paddywagon (a police van) was very hot inside for everyone.
• A policeman asked them to move, but they refused. They were taken to the city jail.
• Before their trip, they had training in nonviolence. They were told not to go into town without at least a dollar, because they could be arrested for being poor.
• When they got off the train, they saw men in dark glasses. Helen thought they were FBI, but they were from the Mississippi State Sovereignty Commission, a group that supported segregation.
• Helen saw a "White Only" sign and walked in with her group and sat down. She felt a sense of freedom. Even though they were asked to leave, they were committed to their protest. They were surprised that the officer who arrested them was Black.