37 pages 1 hour read

Danielle L. McGuire

At the Dark End of the Street: Black Women, Rape, and Resistance—a New History of the Civil Rights Movement from Rosa Parks to the Rise of Black Power

Nonfiction | Book | Adult | Published in 2010

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Symbols & Motifs

Buses

For the civil rights movement, buses represent one of the most important battlegrounds in the fight against segregation. In the South, buses are some of the most difficult places to enforce segregation due to their close quarters and frequent use by both white and black riders. On buses, white and black people are less able to maintain a physical distance from each other, and they are frequently forced to interact. This close proximity charges Southern buses with racial tension. Bus drivers are given total authority to maintain racial segregation on their buses, and any black rider who refuses to follow a bus driver’s orders can be arrested and charged with breaking the laws of segregation. Some bus drivers arm themselves with guns, frequently using the threat of violence to ensure black riders’ obedience. In some cases, black riders who refuse a driver’s orders are beaten or shot to death.

Despite this danger, Southern buses are frequently used by black people. Black female domestic workers rely on public transit to get to their jobs because many are too poor to own cars. Because so many blacks use the bus, blacks often have to stand while riding buses despite there being empty seats in the white section.