Righting a wrong: Orange County judge vacates Freedom Riders' 1947 conviction

On April 9, 1947, a group of 16 men, both Black and white, began the Journey of Reconciliation, the first Freedom Ride to challenge a Supreme Court law that mandated segregated buses. As the riders attempted to board in downtown Chapel Hill, several of them were forcefully removed and attacked by angry cab drivers.

“One thing you will not hear today is arguments,” Judge Allen Baddour said on Friday. “Today is an opportunity to make amends for injustice that occurred in 1947."

Andrew Johnson, James Felmet, Bayard Rustin and Igal Roodenko were among the 16 men who challenged Jim Crow laws 75 years ago.

“[They didn’t know] they were going to embark on a journey that would put them in the throes of hate, violence and possible death,” said public defender Woodrena Baker-Harrell.

The group was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct for refusing to move from the front of the bus.

“These men were unjustly punished for their actions, and they were sentenced to work on a chain gang,” Baker-Harrell said.

On Friday, more than 100 people gathered to see the sentences vacated. Baddour, who was not even born when this happened, was brought to tears.

“Today, I am vacating these convictions, and I am dismissing these charges,” Baddour said.

Amy Zowniriw, the niece of Roodenko, sat Friday where her uncle was convicted 75 years ago. She was proud of the man she called “moral” and “righteous.”

“He devoted his life to making the world better sometimes one person at a time." Zowniriw said of uncle.

Several other Freedom Riders were also arrested in 1947, but their cases were dismissed shortly afterward.