Birmingham's Catherine Burks-Brooks, on 60th anniversary, Recalls Her Historic Ride for Freedom birminghamtimes.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from birminghamtimes.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
By Michael Sznadjerman
Alabama Newscenter
In her police mugshot taken almost 60 years ago in Jackson, Mississippi, Catherine Burks-Brooks looks straight into the camera, without fear or agitation. One might even interpret the curve of her mouth as a smirk.
What was Brooks – then a 21-year-old college student and Freedom Rider, already battle-hardened from several civil rights actions – really thinking about when the bulb flashed?
“When they took that picture, I knew I was going to jail,” said Brooks, who lives in Center Point, near Birmingham. “I was tired. I was hungry. And I was ready to get into bed. I was not afraid.”