Freedom Riders retrace route to Atlanta 65 years later

Freedom Riders tour headed to Atlanta

Original Freedom Riders, their descendants and civil rights leaders are retracing the 1961 Freedom Ride route, returning to Atlanta 65 years later. The tour stops Friday at Ebenezer Baptist Church, the King Center and Spelman College before continuing to New Orleans, with organizers hoping to encourage voter turnout ahead of the midterm elections.

ATLANTA - A group of original Freedom Riders, their descendants and civil rights leaders is retracing the 1961 Freedom Ride route, with a stop in Atlanta on Friday, 65 years later. 

What we know:

The 12-day tour began in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 18 and is scheduled to visit 19 cities across eight states, plus Washington, before ending in New Orleans on Oct. 28. 

In Atlanta, the group plans to visit Ebenezer Baptist Church, the King Center and Spelman College. Organizers say the tour aims to encourage voter turnout ahead of the midterm elections. 

The original 1961 riders were challenging segregation on interstate buses and at terminals. In Alabama, a mob firebombed one bus near Anniston and attacked riders in Birmingham, forcing the initial group to suspend its bus journey before reaching New Orleans.