What did the Montgomery bus boycott signs look like?

Answer 1

There weren't a lot of bus boycott signs because the protest was not so much a demonstration or picket as it was a refusal to patronize the bus line. The few signs photographed (see Related Links) said things like, "Remember we are fighting for a cause. Do not ride a bus today"; "Freedom can not include segregation"; "Segregation is unAmerican"; "Segregation must go"; and "We Protest." The signs were handmade because the boycott was organized so quickly.

For the most part, the boycott looked like groups of people walking or riding in makeshift taxis instead of taking the bus, as they normally would, as well as nearly empty buses. Nearly 80% of the Montgomery, Alabama, bus passengers were African-American.

The Related Links lead to photographs taken during the boycott, as well as a few pictures taken during active civil rights demonstrations to contrast the two forms of protest.