麻豆影院 senior Nathan Roberson has been selected from a national candidate pool to participate in the "2011 Student Freedom Ride," organized by the Public Broadcasting Service show "American Experience."
The ride will present an experiential learning opportunity for the participating college students in conjunction with the broadcast of "Freedom Riders" and the 50th anniversary of the original May 1961 Freedom Rides.
Roberson (pronounced RAH-ber-son) is an international affairs major with interests in ethics and voter enfranchisement.
The 40 Student Freedom Riders were chosen from nearly 1,000 applicants and represent a diverse cross-section of America. Participating students hail from 33 states and the District of Columbia, along with others who grew up in China, Tajikistan and Haiti.
Students from a broad range of schools are represented -- from state universities to community and junior colleges, from religiously affiliated schools to the Ivy League. Students were selected on the basis of their essays on their reasons for wanting to participate, their thoughts on the role of social media and technology in civic engagement today, and their extracurricular activities.
Over a 10-day journey from May 6 through May 16, the ride will be a moving classroom in which the students will retrace the route of the original Freedom Rides. Accompanied by filmmaker Stanley Nelson, original Freedom Riders and others, the ride will engage students in this important era in our country's history, as they learn about the extraordinary commitment and courage of the individuals who took part in the Freedom Rides.
Roberson will miss his May 6 commencement ceremony to participate in the PBS event.
"At 聭American Experience,' we think history is fascinating, but more importantly, we know it informs almost every social and political decision made today," said "American Experience'' executive producer Mark Samels. "We saw that in Egypt, where protesters looked to the American civil rights movement for instruction and inspiration.
"Fifty years after the original Freedom Rides, young people all over the world are once again having their voices heard. They're using new and very different tools to do that, but drawing on lessons from history to inform how they use those tools. It's those lessons from 1961 and how they are informing civic engagement today that we look forward to exploring on this ride."
"Freedom Riders" will be broadcast on Rocky Mountain PBS on Monday, May 16, at 8 p.m. Mountain Daylight Time.
A website, twitter stream and Facebook page will be chronicling the riders experiences, as well as cataloging in-depth information about the original Freedom Riders. Visit for more information.
Nathan Roberson (Photo courtesy of PBS)