However, the earliest known reference is more specific: Inquiry of an Italian employee of the bureau elicited the information that a âgandy dancerâ is a railway worker who tamps down the earth between the ties, or otherwise âdancesâ on the track.
Eventually the federal government intervened to see that integration was enforced. By the time the Freedom Rides were over, segregation had suffered another blow. The Freedom Rides became a defining part of the civil rights movement, and the Freedom Riders became models of the heroism that transformed race relations.
The Freedom Riders take the pretty brave stand of saying, 'Fine, we'll go to Parchman, and we'll fill Parchman up, and we'll make Parchman the next site of the Civil Rights Movement.'. Freedom Rider (Archival): We must now fill the jail and be willing to remain for at least a minimum of 60 days or more.