April 7th – 6:30pm
Triplex Cinema – Great Barrington, MA

WGBY and the Friends of the W.E.B. Du Bois Homesite present an advance screening of Freedom Riders from American Experience hosted by BIFF and the Triplex Cinema, followed by a conversation facilitated by Bernard Lafayette, Jr. who is featured in the film. He will be joined by Freedom Riders Albert Gordon, Jean D. Thompson, and James Breeden who all have ties to western Massachusetts.  Prior to the Great Barrington screening, at 5:30 PM, attend the opening of a special installation in the Triplex Cinema Lobby: Becoming a Son of Great Barrington: W.E.B. Du Bois.

April 8th – 6:30pm
Symphony Hall – Springfield, MA

WGBY and The Springfield Public Forum present an advance screening of the new American Experience Film Freedom Riders followed by a conversation with local Freedom Riders Albert Gordon, Jean D. Thompson, Judy Frieze Wright and James Breeden, young activists committed to non-violent change in 1961. Representative Richard E. Neal will moderate this event. In addition to the 1961 Freedom Riders, a roll call of individuals who played a role in national and local civil rights history in Springfield will join us and be acknowledged. The roll call will be presented in portraits on the big screen and then combined with short intergenerational interviews to be posted on the WGBY website.

Both events are free and open to the public.