Civil Rights “Freedom Rider” Joan Mulholland shared her experiences with students at Colgan High School in Manassas.
According to a release, Mulholland was part of the movement in the 1960s. She had stopped by the high school to see the students’ upcoming production of “The Freedom Riders”, which depicts the movement.
During her visit “Mulholland, who was jailed for her activism, shared details from a diary she kept while in jail. Students asked questions that would help them with their interpretation of the events and people they are portraying in the play. Mulholland hid the small scraps of contraband paper that constituted her diary in the dress she wore while imprisoned,” stated a release.
She also offered some insight for the students.
“Fear is a waste of energy. It keeps you from knowing what you should be doing. We were in it together. We had conviction; we believed in what we were doing,” stated Mulholland.
In addition to the Freedom Riders piece, the group will perform “The Courageous Four” as well, which addresses the history of integration of teaching staff of Prince William County Public Schools.
“Fannie W. Fitzgerald, Mary G. Porter, Zella Brown, and Maxine Coleman were the first four African American teachers asked to teach in the all-white elementary schools in the county to begin the desegregation process,” stated a release.
The students will be performing “The Freedom Riders” and “The Courageous Four” on February 15 and 16 at 7 p.m., and Febryart 17 at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m.
