Friday, May 6, marks the start of the 2011 Student Freedom Ride, an experiential learning opportunity for college students in conjunction with the American Experience broadcast and the 50th anniversary of the original May 1961 Freedom Rides. Monday, May 16, marks the highly-anticipated premiere of American Experience: Freedom Riders.  Over a ten-day journey from May 6 – 16, the Ride will be a moving classroom in which 40 college students — including Hampshire College student Zilong Wang — will retrace the route of the original Freedom Rides. You can meet Zilong at the Freedom Riders website and follow the Ride on Facebook. Then tune in on Monday, May 16 at 9pm, for a gripping documentary – PBS programming at its best!

And, as we shared in an earlier blog post, American Experience has partnered with Facing History and Ourselves to develop a full study guide as a companion to Freedom Riders. You can download this resource here to use in your classroom along with the film.