Gov. Haley Barbour Apologizes to Activists Arrested in Mississippi: Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour has apologized to dozens of civil rights activists who were carted off to the state's notorious Parchman prison in the 1960s for attempting to desegregate interstate travel.
“We apologize to you for your mistreatment in 1961, and we appreciate this chance for atonement and reconciliation,” Barbour told the so-called Freedom Riders during a dinner at a Jackson hotel on Sunday.
The Freedom Riders, college students and other activists, who challenged segregation on commercial bus lines, are in Jackson this week to mark the 50th anniversary of the 1961 protest. Barbour is among the leaders hosting them.
