The Mirage to preview Freedom Riders documentary

For six months of 1961, 400 Americans peacefully protested against racism and segregation by riding buses through the Deep South.

These Freedom Riders, as they were called, did such provocative things -- blacks sat next to whites or in the front of the bus or used a whites' only restroom in a bus terminal -- that they often were arrested or beaten or both. Buses were mobbed and burned.

The response to the Freedom Riders was so strong and violent that it helped raise national awareness of the lack of civil rights in the South, inspiring wide support for the movement.

On Friday, The Mirage will host a preview at 4 p.m. of a PBS documentary that details the Freedom Riders' experiences and the impact their actions had on the nation. U.S. Rep. John Lewis, D-Georgia, an original Freedom Rider, will participate in the event. (A limited number of free tickets may be available; call 799-1010 ext. 5361, for details.)

It's an unusual event for a Strip property to host, but the topic is an important one, says Debra Nelson, vice president of corporate diversity and community affairs at MGM Resorts International. The company prides itself on its diversity initiatives, and hosting this event fit in with that policy, Nelson says.

The Freedom Ride movement paved the way for desegregation in public transportation and accommodations, she says, which ultimately had an impact on the hospitality industry.

"I equate it in many respects as a once in a lifetime event," says Nelson, a native of Birmingham, Ala. As a young girl in the 1960s, Nelson, who is African-American, remembers the racial tension and the constant threat of violence against blacks. "The (Freedom Rides) really mark the progression of history in our nation but also a progression of history on the Las Vegas Strip."

Las Vegas has its own segregationist past. Until the early 1960s, blacks were prohibited from owning property or businesses outside of West Las Vegas near downtown. And while many blacks worked in casinos doing jobs in the back of the house, they weren't allowed in the casinos themselves. Popular black entertainers of the era, including Sammy Davis Jr., couldn't sit in the lounge after a performance.

"Our casinos were once not a very welcoming place," notes Tom Axtell, general manager of KLVX-TV, Channel 10. "People used to call us the Mississippi of the West."

A documentary about an event that helped change national policy seemed appropriate now considering the past two elections have featured change as a predominant theme, Axtell says. Such shows also are popular with the KLVX audience. The documentary will be broadcast as part of the "American Experience" series on PBS at 9 p.m. May 16 (repeating locally at 1 p.m. May 22).

Contact reporter Sonya Padgett at spadgett@review journal.com or 702-380-4564.