In May 1961, Pauline Knight-Ofosu, then a Tennessee State University student, boarded a bus with a group of civil rights activists and set out to challenge the South’s segregation of passengers on interstate transport.
Knight-Ofosu was prepared for the possible backlash – mob attacks, savage beatings, arrests and even death – but she remained steadfast on her quest to do what was right. In a 2011 interview with The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Knight-Ofosu spoke about the maltreatment she witnessed growing up in the Deep South, and the reason she decided to act. “It was hard to watch your mother and father – who deserved to be treated like citizens – being treated unjustly. That was wrong, and if something is going on you don’t like, stop complaining and do something,” she said.
Check Out Dr. Haney’s Special on TSU and the Civil Rights Movement