Carolina Coach Company played a significant role in Black history during the Civil Rights Movement. In the 1950s and 1960s, the company operated buses in the southern United States, including states with segregated seating laws.

One notable event involving Carolina Coach Company occurred in 1961 during the Freedom Rides, which were organized to challenge segregation on interstate buses. Freedom Riders, including Black and white activists, boarded buses to travel through the South and test whether the Supreme Court ruling in Boynton v. Virginia, which declared segregation on interstate buses unconstitutional, was being enforced.

When the Freedom Riders reached North Carolina, Carolina Coach Company refused to allow integrated seating on their buses. This led to clashes between the activists and white supremacists, as well as arrests and violent incidents.

The actions of Carolina Coach Company, along with other transportation companies, highlighted the ongoing challenges faced by Black Americans in their fight for civil rights and equality. The Freedom Rides and the resistance faced by activists helped bring national attention to the issue of segregation and ultimately led to the enforcement of desegregation laws in interstate travel.