On January 19, 2015, I went on what is announced as being the last Freedom Train to commemorate the civil rights march from Selma to Montgomey, Alabama, in 1965. It was a very festive atmosphere, as many families of all races joined in the Freedom Train and the march in San Francisco. It is a fitting tribute to Martin Luther King Jr. and the many people who participated in the civil rights campaigns of the 1950s and 1960s.
During the ride a dynamic lady lead my section of the train in readings and songs. She passed out programs and gave a history of the Freedom Train. In the late 1970s to mid 1980s, many cities formed “Freedom Trains” to commemorate the 54 mile march from Selma to Montgomery that civil rights participants traveled in 1965. The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Association of Silicon Valley started the San Francisco Freedom Train in the early 1980s. The lady then led the train in a sing-a-long of “The Star Spangled Banner”, “Lift Ev’ry Voice and Sing”, and “Swing Low Sweet Chariot”. She ended with a recitation of Dr. King’s “I Have A Dream” speech.
At the last stop, the group began a march to the Yerba Buena Garden. I flitted in and out of the crowd, taking photos of the marchers and getting into conversations with various individuals. Many religious groups participated, including the Union of Black Episcopalians, the San Francisco Interfaith Council, The Old Presbyterian Church, Episcopalians for Peace, the Lutherans Hungry for Justice, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Or Shalom Jewish Community, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, and the San Francisco Unit of Church Women United. Several shirts alluded to the tragic killings in Ferguson and New York, and a few alluded to the restrictions in voting rights in several states.
Here are photos of the Freedom Train for this year
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About angelolopez
I’ve wanted to be an artist all my life. Since I was a child I’ve drawn on any scrap of paper I could get a hold of. When I went to San Jose State University, I became more exposed to the works of the great fine artists and illustrators. My college paintings were heavily influenced by the humorous illustrations of Peter De Seve, an illustrator for the New Yorker magazine. I also fell under the spell of the great muralists of the 1930s, especially Thomas Hart Benton and Diego Rivera. I graduated with a degree in Illustration.
Angelo Lopez has had illustrations published in Tikkun Magazine, the Palo Alto Daily News and Z Magazine. From April 2008 to May 2011, Angelo's cartoons were regularly published in the Tri-City Voice, a weekly newspaper that covers the Fremont, Hayward, Milpitas, Neward, Sunol and Union City areas in California. He does a political webcomic starring his cartoon character Jasper for the progressive blogsite Everyday Citizen. Since December 2011, Angelo does a regular weekly political cartoon for the Philippines Today, a Filipino American newspaper based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Since March 2013, he has also contributed cartoons to the Manila Mail, a Filipino American newspaper based in Washington D.C.
Angelo is a member of the Sunnyvale Art Club, and the Northern California chapter of the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. During the 1990s, he was a member of the part-timer workers SEIU unit in the city of Sunnyvale.
Angelo won the 2013, 2015 and 2016 Sigma Delta Chi award for editorial cartooning for newspapers with a circulation under 100,000. He has also won the 2016 RFK Book and Journalism Award for Editorial Cartoons. Angelo won first prize for the Best of the West contest in 2016 and third prize in 2017.
Angelo is married to Lisa Reeber. They enjoy taking walks, watching movies and hanging out with their nieces.
