Baton Rouge bus boycott

Baton Rouge bus boycott was a historic boycott launched on June 19, 1953 by the African-American residents of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Prior to the boycott, black people were forced to sit in the back of the bus, even when the front of the bus was empty. Blacks made up about 80% of the ridership in the early 1950s and laws on the books prohibited black citizens from owning their own buses. Black riders were forced to sit or stand in the back of the bus, even when the front of the bus, which was reserved for whites, was empty. Demands for black riders to ride in the front of the bus, but still refrain from sitting next to whites, was supported by the City Council initially, and led to the passing of Ordinance 222. However, the all-white fleet of bus drivers refused to enforce the ordinance and it was later overturned after the drivers went on strike. The bus drivers strike lasted four days. The drivers returned to work after the ordinance was overturned and declared victory.

Rev. T. J. Jemison helped organize the United Defense League and a boycott in a response to the decision to overturn the ordinance by the Louisiana Attorney General. Residents met in four mass meetings and raised $6,000 in just two days. About 14,000 of residents refused to board the city's buses and instead received rides in free taxis and in private cars. About 125 private cars were used in the boycott.

The boycott ended six days after it began with Ordinance 251. Black riders filled the bus from the rear forward and whites filled the bus from the front to the back. Blacks and whites were still prohibited from sitting next to each other. Two front seats were off-limits to black riders and only black riders could occupy the wide rear seat in the back of the bus.

The boycott had an economic impact on the city's transportation system and on the broader Civil Rights Movement. Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. became aware of the bus boycott and spoke with Rev. Jemison about the fight for social justice in Baton Rouge, especially about the free car ride system, which was a key part of the Baton Rouge bus boycott. The 1953 Baton Rouge Bus boycott served as a model for the internationally known 1955 Montgomery Bus Boycott. The 1953 Baton Rouge Bus boycott also inspired residents to mobilize around other issues, such as securing the right to vote.

In recognition of the role of the 1953 Baton Rouge Bus Boycott in the history of people of African ancestry and the world history, the Toni Morrison Society's Bench by the Road project selected Baton Rouge as a site. The project places benches at sites with historical significance in the history of people of African ancestry nationally and internationally. The permanent site of the bench is the McKinley High School Alumni Center.