Friends,
From October 17 to 28, Vote Common Good, Faith Out Loud, and Greater Things Foundation are taking the Freedom Ride: twelve days on a bus, from Washington, D.C., to New Orleans, broadly retracing the route the original 1961 Freedom Riders set out on.
They never finished that ride by bus.
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That’s because in May 1961, a mob firebombed one of their buses outside of Anniston, Alabama, and Klansmen beat the riders on the other in Birmingham. The group had to fly the rest of the way. More than 400 people carried the fight forward that summer, and many ended up in Mississippi jails for standing up for what’s right.
Kredelle and Alphonso Petway were arrested for trying to integrate an airport in 1961, and they’re ready to join us for The Ride next month (you can help them get there).
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When Kredelle was a 20-year-old student at Florida A&M University, her father, Rev. Matthew Petway, walked her and her 16-year-old brother Alphonso onto a flight out of Montgomery’s airport on July 24, 1961.
The plan was to land in Jackson, Mississippi, and use the airport’s whites-only facilities like any other passenger.
But police were waiting on the tarmac when they landed, and the terminal was locked, so they couldn’t even collect their bags. Police arrested and booked the three Petways at the Hinds County Jail.
This family stood for something, and they are still standing for it.
And what the Petways stand for is the very opposite of the Christian Nationalism running our country right now.
It’s important that we bring Kredelle and Alphonso on The Ride with us. This means covering their travel, hotel, and meals, and a stipend honoring their time. That runs $6,000 per rider. For both of them, together, it’s $12,000.
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I know that, as a community for the common good, we can make this happen. To honor where this family has been, what they stand for, and what The Ride will accomplish.
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You can sponsor a rider on your own, split it with your family, your congregation, or your organization, or give whatever you can. Gifts go to Greater Things, a 501(c)(3), and are tax-deductible to the extent allowed by law.
The Petways asked us to mention one more thing: next March 12–13, The Few Who Flew holds its 2027 Biennial Civil Rights Gala in Pensacola thefewwhoflew.org. Its first gala honored the Petway family, and they’re still keeping this story alive sixty-five years later.
Donate any amount today and help get Kredelle and Alphonso Petway on that bus.
In this together,
Doug
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Vote Common Good inspires people of good conscience to wake up, stand up, and speak up against MAGA politics and Christian Nationalism. We have a proven record of success moving faith voters away from radical candidates and inspiring them to vote their values for the common good. Please consider a contribution today.
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.png "A screenshot of the Freedom Riders from https://theride2026.org/.")
