A national bus tour to collect the history of the American civil rights movement starts today in Washington D.C. The tour is part of a project called “Voices of Civil Rights,” an oral history project sponsored by the American Association of Retired People, The Leadership Conference on Civil Rights, and the Library of Congress.

Today, the project launched a bus tour which will leave Washington D.C. and follow the route of the Freedom Rides. The Freedom Riders was a multiracial group which in 1961 traveled through the south challenging segregation at bus stations, a trip which was at times violently attacked. Along the 70-day, 35-city tour, the project will collect personal stories from participants in the movement, posting updates on their website.