In 1961, hundreds of black and white Americans traveled together on buses and trains from Washington, D.C. to several major southern cities, testing the end of Jim Crow laws in public transportation and demonstrating that they were willing to fight the injustices of segregation.

Fifty years later, the message this mass transit movement made still resonates and will be commemorated this month at "The Power of Students: Freedom Riders," an event hosted by the College of Education's Alonzo A. Crim Center for Urban Educational Excellence.

At this event, scheduled for 5 p.m. March 17 in the Georgia State University Speakers Auditorium, attendees will be able to see an advanced screening of the Public Broadcasting Service's film entitled, "Freedom Riders," which highlights the history of the Freedom Rides through the eyes of those who participated and the government officials and journalists who witnessed it firsthand.

Following the film,Atlanta Journal-Constitution assignments editor Angela Tuck will moderate a discussion about the rides and the film with two Freedom Riders: Bernard Lafayette and William Harbour.

"This student-planned event was developed out of a deep desire to showcase the collective power of students, unity through diversity, and success in the face of adversity," said Bryan Murray, business affairs coordinator for the Crim Center. "In the 1960s, young college students took the initiative to become catalysts for national change. It is not only an awe-inspiring feat, but serves as an inspiration for students of all ages that they are capable of achieving and affecting change at any level."