DECATUR, Ill. (WCIA) — A Civil Rights activist and author will discuss his work and sign copies of his books at an event next week. Thomas Armstrong penned Autobiography of a Freedom Rider: My Life as a Foot Soldier for Civil Rights, with New York-based journalist Natalie Bell.

As a student at the historically-black Tougaloo College from 1959 – 1963, Armstrong joined colleagues and faculty members who launched early protests for voting rights and public accommodations. The demonstrations were led by NAACP leaders, including the late Medgar Evers, as well as ordinary men and woman.

Armstrong’s part-memoir, part-historical narrative describes his life-altering, freedom-fighting experience and underscores the importance of historical narratives of black Southerners who led and participated in the movement.

His work has been credited as an important first-person narrative of the Civil Rights Movement by college historians, Publisher’s Weekly and other industry reviewers.

Autobiography of a Freedom Rider: My Life as a Foot Soldier for Civil Rights by Thomas M. Armstrong
Decatur Public Library
Madden Auditorium
Thursday, October 10, 6 pm