Photos from the Reverse Freedom Rides of 1962
For the last few weeks, news reports have focused on stories of migrants who were sent without warning by bus and plane from the Southern border to destinations further North such as Washington, DC, New York City, and Martha’s Vineyard. This seemed to mark a new and dehumanizing way of making a political point by the governors of Florida, Texas, and Arizona. Yet transporting innocent and vulnerable people across state lines for political purposes is not new. Sixty years ago, some segregationist politicians and local white leaders who opposed the Civil Rights Movement came up with their own inhumane parody of an impactful movement campaign from the previous year. The Freedom Rides of 1961 helped to change the injustice of segregation in interstate transportation. Over the course of many months beginning in May 1961, interracial groups of Freedom Riders traveled together in buses throughout the South. This simple act resulted in numerous acts of violence toward these riders including severe beatings, the bombing of one bus, and harsh prison sentences in the infamous Parchman Penitentiary in Mississippi. The first video posted below provides a brief glimpse into this important campaign.
In response to the courageous Freedom Riders and their efforts for greater racial justice, some Southern state officials and members of the racist White Citizens Councils came up with the idea of busing Black people to Northern destinations. These “Reverse Freedom Rides” eventually bused around 200 people to unprepared destinations in the North before the cynical and inhumane campaign fell apart. In one case, a mother and her nine children were bused from Arkansas to Cape Cod. She was deceived by promises of housing, a job, and even a personal welcome by President Kennedy at his home in Hyannis. Click here for a print and audio article about the Reverse Freedom Rides. The community response in 1962 Hyannis was similar to that in Martha’s Vineyard last week. Local residents came together to provide for the needs of the people who were used as political pawns. Knowing the history of campaigns such as the Freedom Rides of 1961 and the Reverse Freedom Rides of 1962 helps us to recognize and respond to current manifestations of racism by people and systems that are willing to dehumanize others to promote their own unjust agenda. Being willing to confront injustice and stand up for the dignity and sacred worth of all people is just as essential in 2022 as it was in 1961-2. The second video posted below comes from a local news report in Florida that draws connections between the Reverse Freedom Rides and the current so-called “State Relocation Program” which is just a recycled form of injustice.