On April 24, 1867, African American residents of Richmond, Virginia, organized one of the earliest documented mass transit protests in U.S. history. In response to racially segregated seating policies, Black demonstrators staged “ride-ins” on the city’s streetcars. These nonviolent actions disrupted operations and challenged the post-Civil War racial order. The protest drew such attention that federal troops were deployed to restore order. Though not immediately successful in ending segregation, the ride-ins were a powerful precursor to the 20th-century civil rights movement and public transportation boycotts.
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