NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — A funeral was held Thursday for a Middle Tennessee teacher, who is a part of national Civil Rights history.
A video clip captured by the family shows how so many think of Carolyn Bush — up and active, shooting basketballs on a court. Carolyn has a story of her travels during the early 1960s. It's a story known by cousin Sandra Settle Rogers.
Watch family and friends explain the life of Carolyn Bush in the player above.
"She had that type of personality of don't just say something, do something," Sandra said.
The story is known by her friend Mary Alice Carfi.
"Her actions changed our society," Mary Alice said.
It's known by former student Damasha Ford.
"It makes me proud she went out of her way to fight for freedom," Damasha said.
That story begins at Fisk University in 1961 when Carolyn was 21.
"She was at Fisk under the tutelage of John Lewis," said Sandra. "It was safety tactics. Non-violent tactics."
"There were risks," Damasha added.
"They went through intense training to teach them how not to respond," said Mary Alice. "They were prepared to be spit on and hit and things thrown at them."
Carolyn was part of the group that went out on interstate buses called the Freedom Riders.
"She rode a bus from Montgomery, Alabama to Jackson, Mississippi," Mary Alice said. "They were trying to desegregate the buses at that time."
"They go out of their way to make a change for their culture," said Damasha.
"In those days, there was a lot of hatred towards that," Sandra continued. "It was a difficult life, but if you had that passion to help people and make a change, that's what you did."
"When she was arrested, she spent almost a month in jail," said Mary Alice. "That was how much they believed in the cause of integrating our society."
Despite all the Freedom Riders experienced, their story is now a part of American history. For a very long time, Carolyn didn't like speaking about that time. A lot of it was too painful to remember. Those were stories she kept to herself. Then, she changed her mind.
"We knew where we was going was not going to be friendly territory," Carolyn told a Williamson County School in a video captured a few years ago.
Carolyn began sharing her story at schools and colleges.
"Anybody goes through this again, you're the one who will make the difference," Carolyn told a crowd of students in the video.
Carolyn Bush has just died. She was a mother, a grandmother, a great-grandmother, a teacher, and a powerful teller of her life story.
"It's an amazing legacy to leave behind," said Mary Alice.
"She made a change," added Damasha.
"I'm so honored to be related to Carolyn," said Sandra. "I'm so glad she pulled up and said, 'this is my story, and this is what I'm telling everyone.'"
Carolyn's family tells us after retiring as a teacher, she helped run a free tutoring program for children at a community center. One of her favorite stories to tell was how in high school, she played basketball games against future Olympian Wilma Rudolph.
Fostering Hope provides Christmas for kids in foster care. I'm delighted to see Fostering Hope expand this year to expand their reach to now include kids in Foster care in metro AND foster kids in East TN hard hit by Helene.
-Bree Smith
