Merrimack, NH, Student Selected for American Experience Student Freedom Ride May 6 - 16

(DURHAM – May 6, 2011) – In May 1961, a courageous band of civil rights activists boarded Greyhound buses with the intent of challenging segregation in the American South. They called themselves the Freedom Riders. Fifty years later, a group of college students will retrace the historic bus route in conjunction with the broadcast of American Experience’s FREEDOM RIDERS and the 50th anniversary of the original May 1961 Freedom Rides. Merrimack, NH, resident Meghna Chandra is one of 40 students who will be on the 2011 Student Freedom Ride May 6 - 16. Chosen from over 1,000 applicants, Chandra has a passion for social justice and is eager to “get on the bus” and meet other student activists. “It’s essential that as a young immigrant American I know our history,” the University of Pennsylvania sophomore explained. “I want to understand the history behind social movements and analyze why they happened.” Chandra, who attended Merrimack High School, is also an alumna of Granite State Challenge, NHPTV’s televised academic quiz competition.Over a ten-day journey from May 6 – 16, the Ride will be a moving classroom in which 40 college students from across the country retrace the route of the original Freedom Rides. Accompanied by filmmaker Stanley Nelson, original Freedom Riders and others, the Ride will engage students in this important era in our country’s history, as they learn about the extraordinary commitment and courage of the individuals who took part in the Freedom Rides. FREEDOM RIDERS – an American Experience documentary, airs Wednesday, May 18th at 9 p.m. on NHPTV. It premieres Monday, May 16th at 9 p.m. on WGBH. The film is the powerful, harrowing and ultimately inspirational story of six months in 1961 that changed America forever. From May until November 1961, more than 400 black and white Americans risked their lives—and many endured savage beatings and imprisonment—for simply traveling together on buses and trains as they journeyed through the Deep South. Deliberately violating Jim Crow laws, the Freedom Riders’ belief in non-violent activism was sorely tested as mob violence and bitter racism greeted them along the way. FREEDOM RIDERS features testimony from a fascinating cast of central characters: the Riders themselves, state and federal government officials, and journalists who witnessed the rides firsthand. The documentary was produced, written and directed by Stanley Nelson. Freedom Riders Online For more information on this pivotal event in the civil rights movement, visit (www.pbs.org/freedomriders) Follow Meghna Chandra’s journey on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/ride.:On Twitter:@pbsamex@FreedomRidePBS

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