{"id":163296,"date":"2026-02-21T00:41:08","date_gmt":"2026-02-21T00:41:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/163296\/"},"modified":"2026-02-21T00:41:08","modified_gmt":"2026-02-21T00:41:08","slug":"seventy-years-onward-reflecting-on-when-bus-seats-went-empty-the-famuan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/163296\/","title":{"rendered":"Seventy years onward, reflecting on when\u00a0bus\u00a0seats went empty \u2013 The FAMUAN"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/p>\n

Statue of Rev. C.K. Steele\u2019s resolute gaze\u00a0over the C.K. Steele bus plaza.\u00a0(Khalil-Lullah Ballentine\/FAMUAN)<\/p>\n

The\u00a0solemn slogan that defined the Rev. C.K. Steele\u2019s moral resolve at the heart of the civil rights movement in Tallahassee, Florida, was\u00a0\u201cI would rather walk in dignity than ride in humiliation.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI would rather walk in dignity than ride in humiliation.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Rev. C.K. Steele<\/p>\n

Steele, an iconic local figure, was instrumental in the student-led Tallahassee bus boycott\u2014a 7-month-long, historic movement that ignited social change for Black people in the South and served as a precursor to other student-initiated demonstrations, such as the 1960 Atlanta and Greensboro sit-ins and the 1961 Freedom Rides.\u00a0<\/p>\n

It\u2019s\u00a0been 70 years since this resistance.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Five months after Rosa Parks\u2019 refusal to give up her seat to a white passenger, sparking the Alabama bus boycott, two Florida A&M University students followed suit, catalyzing a similar civil rights movement in Tallahassee, which is now considered one of the major successful and economically devastating demonstrations led by African Americans.\u00a0<\/p>\n

On May 26, 1956, in the height of Jim Crow America, Wilhelmina Jakes and Carrie Patterson sat down in the only two vacant seats in the \u201cwhites only\u201d section on a crowded local city bus.\u00a0<\/p>\n

When the two refused to move, the bus driver called the police, and Jakes and Patterson were arrested on the charge of \u201cplacing themselves in a position to start a riot.\u201d and released on bond the same day.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

Steele, an NAACP Representative and close friend of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., visited Jakes and Patterson the next morning to express solidarity with the two.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Consequently, a cross was\u00a0set\u00a0ablaze in their front yard.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

As news of the arrest rapidly spread through Tallahassee\u2019s Black community, anger and unrest defined the collective emotions. FAMU Student Body President Brodes Hartley called for a student assembly, proposing a bus boycott for the remaining semester.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Black community had a similar meeting, deciding whether to join the students\u2019 efforts. In an unopposed vote, the Inter-Civic Council was created and formed\u00a0to advocate\u00a0for increased access to seating, equally hired African American bus drivers and hospitality.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Led by Steele and the Rev. D.B. Speed, the ICC\u00a0established\u00a0a carpool system with members loaning their cars and encouraging ride sharing for transportation. Despite arrests and legal intimidation from law enforcement, the ICC and bus boycott prevailed.\u00a0<\/p>\n

According to meeting reports documented on Florida Memory, Rev. Daniel D.B. Speed gave a summary and progress of the carpooling\u00a0operations\u00a0the ICC\u2019s Aug. 1, 1956, meeting, asking more car owners to step forward to help. Within that meeting, the council amassed a little over $600 to support the carpool.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The ICC\u2019s meeting minutes were documented on August 1, 1956. (State Archives of Florida, Series S776)<\/p>\n

FAMU\u2019s former Dean of Students and pastor Rev. Moses G. Miles personally saw to it that students did not ride the bus to avoid accidents. He encouraged the rest of the council to \u201cnot ride the buses at all\u201d in a motivational speech.\u00a0<\/p>\n

With clearly defined policies in\u00a0house, the ICC sent an urgent telegram to Florida Gov. LeRoy Collins.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

The ICC\u2019s telegram to Gov. LeRoy Collins.\u00a0(State Archives of Florida, Series S776)<\/p>\n

\u201cDuring 1955, the Negro citizens of Tallahassee have spent over 100,000 with the bus companies,\u201d the message read. \u201cWe believe that most people agree that the Negro citizens of Tallahassee should be free like the white citizens of Tallahassee, to determine for themselves whether they wish to ride the buses and pay for the things they do not get.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The boycott continued well into December 1956, until the U.S. Supreme Court abolished bus segregation through the 14th\u00a0Amendment\u2019s Equal Protection Clause.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThe 1956 Tallahassee Bus Boycott struck a critical blow against racial segregation in Florida\u2019s capital city,\u201d said Larry O. Rivers, Ph.D., University of West Georgia associate\u00a0professor and scholar on Tallahassee\u2019s bus boycott, James Hudson\u2019s contributions and FAMU\u2019s religious life program.\u00a0\u201cIt, along with the 1956 Browder v. Gayle federal case ruling that declared bus segregation to be unconstitutional, led to the end of Jim Crow bus seating in Tallahassee.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

In January,\u00a0the city of Tallahassee unveiled Steele\u2019s newly restored statue at the C.K. Steele bus plaza. Originally sculpted in 1985, Florida State University\u2019s Master Craftsman Studio and program director John Raulerson aided in its restoration.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a great honor for Master Craftsman Studio to be trusted and chosen to work on the restoration of Reverend Steel\u2019s sculpture,\u201d Raulerson said. \u201cBut to be trusted to work on something of this historical magnitude \u2026 that honors a man\u2019s legacy, who had such a positive influence on our community and world, was truly special and humbling.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

This year, May 26 will mark a significant day for Black history in Tallahassee, as local officials now recognize the anniversary as \u201cTallahassee Bus Boycott Remembrance Day.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Rev. C.K. Steele (center left) and Rev. H. McNeal Harris protesting segregated bus seats.\u00a0(Florida Memory)<\/p>\n

For its 70th anniversary, Tallahassee organizers are planning\u00a0numerous\u00a0events leading up to the day of the boycott.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Ted Ellis, first director of FSU\u2019s Civil Rights Institute and artist of\u00a0Walt\u00a0Disney\u2019s first\u00a01999 Black Heritage Celebration\u00a0poster\u00a0at Epcot Center and \u201cObama: The 44th President,\u201d\u00a0hopes to bridge the gap between FAMU and FSU\u00a0through community engagements.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m pumped up and deliberate in what this looks like;\u00a0the Civil Rights Insititue is the focus for sharing scholarly information to students,\u201d Ellis said. \u201cAnd how do we do\u00a0that\u00a0around the importance of civil rights, social\u00a0justice\u00a0and civic responsibilities? Pragmatically,\u00a0we want heavy student engagement and participation.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

In addition to\u00a0celebrating\u00a0100 years of Black History Month, America is celebrating its\u00a0250th\u00a0anniversary. Supervised\u00a0by\u00a0FSU College of Social Sciences and Public Policy\u00a0Dean\u00a0Tim Chapin,\u00a0Ellis hopes to\u00a0integrate the two celebrations together in the upcoming Unity 5K walk to recognize medical challenges marginalized communities face\u00a0through his position.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re\u00a0looking to have 250 markers of African Americans who have served in a civil rights space\u00a0and medical practices to empower\u00a0and improve the quality\u00a0of life\u00a0for those who have been underserved,\u201d\u00a0Ellis said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Additionally,\u00a0he is organizing another bus ride to Selma to Montgomery on Mar. 28,\u00a0encapsulating\u00a0the essence of\u00a0marches from\u00a0Selma\u2019s\u00a0Brown Chapel AME Church in 1965\u00a0following Bloody Sunday.\u00a0Last year\u2019s\u00a0organized\u00a0bus\u00a0ride\u00a0is currently being made into a film.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe were welcomed by the foot soldiers, those who were telling their stories on the ground during civil rights,\u201d Ellis said, reflecting on last year\u2019s bus ride. \u201cIt\u2019s\u00a0going to be an annual commitment in this space.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

Through these initiatives,\u00a0he hopes\u00a0to\u00a0continue\u00a0educating\u00a0the public\u00a0on\u00a0the\u00a0legacy\u00a0of\u00a0civil\u00a0rights\u00a0movements\u00a0across America starting in Tallahassee, specifically engaging young people during Black History Month.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe got to heal the earth,\u201d Ellis said. \u201cWe\u2019ve\u00a0got to heal humanity so that we can live better and do better for the finite time that\u00a0we\u2019re\u00a0here.\u00a0We\u2019ve\u00a0got a lot of work to do.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Francisco A. Rodriguez, Reverend C.K. Steele and Reverend Daniel B. Speed walk toward the courthouse in Tallahassee. (Florida Memory)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Statue of Rev. C.K. Steele\u2019s resolute gaze\u00a0over the C.K. Steele bus plaza.\u00a0(Khalil-Lullah Ballentine\/FAMUAN) The\u00a0solemn slogan that defined the…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":163297,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[232,234,233],"class_list":{"0":"post-163296","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-tallahassee","8":"tag-tallahassee","9":"tag-tallahassee-headlines","10":"tag-tallahassee-news"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/163296","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=163296"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/163296\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/163297"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=163296"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=163296"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=163296"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}