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Bruce Boynton, who inspired 1961 Freedom Rides, dies at 83

Bruce Boynton, who inspired 1961 Freedom Rides, dies at 83
Posted at 8:45 AM, Nov 25, 2020
and last updated 2020-11-25 09:45:23-05

SELMA, Ala. (AP) — Bruce Carver Boynton, a civil rights pioneer who inspired the “Freedom Rides," has died at the age of 83.

Former Alabama state Sen. Hank Sanders confirmed Boynton's passing Tuesday.

Boynton was arrested 60 years ago for entering the white part of a racially segregated bus station in Virginia.

That action began a chain reaction of events that ultimately helped to bring about the abolition of Jim Crow laws in the South.

Boynton contested his conviction, and his appeal resulted in a Supreme Court decision that prohibited bus station segregation and helped inspire the landmark “Freedom Rides” of 1961.