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Pauline Knight-Ofosu wept, unable to contain her tears of joy. Around the lobby of the Renaissance Hotel, the scene could be seen repeating itself.
Forty-seven years of wondering would a 'parent' make peace with its 'child' was ending as Ofosu and 13 other children of Tennessee State University were taking their final steps home in body and spirit. They were headed for a long overdue, loving embrace and collective healing of old wounds.
In 1961, on orders from state officials, Tennessee State expelled the 14 unassuming young civil rights activists for their peaceful participation in the Freedom Rides, a series of "test' rides across the South on Greyhound and Trailways buses challenging racial segregation in interstate transportation.
Ofosu and the others successfully sued the school for reinstatement. Most went on to finish their studies and the federal government followed through with orders to end segregation in interstate transportation.
Now, TSU, with reluctant endorsement from the state, had finally come to terms with history and was honoring its 'children,' now in their late sixties or deceased, for their courage and achievements. It staged a series of events last week to highlight and praise the TSU Freedom Riders and awarded them honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degrees.
"For so many years, people said 'how stupid you are' going down there (on the Freedom Rides through Alabama and Mississippi)," said Ofosu, who spent 42 days in jail and prison in Mississippi and, like the 13 others, received notice of her expulsion while in jail.
"Now, what a twist," Ofosu said, cracking a smile as she prepared to visit her old campus for the first time in decades. "We've come and returned home. It's like a family reunion," she said, echoing the sentiments of others.
On Thursda y, the TSU 14, as they have come to be known, participated in the school's fall convocation during which their degrees were awarded. At times, there was hardly a dry eye as applause and ovations filled die Gentry Center.
"It is good to see those that reject you come to honor you," said the Rev. C.T. Vivian, the Nashville civil rights pioneer who was keynote speaker for Thursday afternoon event. "If it wasn't for the action in the streets, there would...