RIVERSIDE, Calif. – (Nov. 12, 2015) -- California Baptist University will host a screening of the film "Freedom Riders,"the fourth and final film in the acclaimed documentary series "Created Equal: America's Civil Rights Struggle." The film will be shown on Nov. 17 at 7:00 p.m. in Innovators Auditorium.

 "Freedom Riders" tells the events that transpired in 1961 during the civil rights struggle, when a group of white and black volunteers rode buses together into the Deep South and risked being jailed or beaten. The film includes previously unseen amateur 8-mm footage of a burning bus on which some Freedom Riders were temporarily trapped. The film was made by a local 12-year-old and held as evidence by the FBI since 1961. 

 "This film will highlight the bravery of the civil rights activists from a variety of backgrounds," said Dr. Kenya A. Davis-Hayes, associate professor of American history and coordinator of the event. "Audiences will be inspired as they watch how these individuals stand up for a better society."

 The film will be followed by a time of sharing from Helen Singleton, a civil rights activist who participated in the Freedom Rides.                                                                                                  

"I'm looking forward to hearing what she (Singleton) will say. It should be interesting to get a perspective from someone who had their feet to the ground during these times," Davis-Hayes said.

The film is presented with the support of a grant from the National Endowment of the Humanities and the Gilder Lehman Institute of American History.

For more information on the event, contact Davis-Hayes at kdavis@calbaptist.edu.