The relocation of about 50 migrants from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard in Massachusetts, initiated last week by Florida’s governor, has revived memories of strikingly similar tactics employed by southern segregationists 60 years ago.
As news of the relocation spread, the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library quickly drew historical parallels to the Reverse Freedom Rides during the Kennedy administration.
In 1962, a group of conservatives, intent on retaliating against desegregation efforts during the civil rights movement, funded one-way trips to the north for Black citizens.
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Hundreds of Black Americans were transported to cities such as New York, Philadelphia and Chicago, recruited by members of a segregationist group called the White Citizens’ Council, with false promises of jobs and housing.
One of the targeted destination points was Hyannis Port – a village on the Cape Cod peninsula – where the largest group of riders arrived in the spring of 1962 before they were provided temporary housing at Camp Edwards near Otis Air National Guard Base.
In what many condemned as the same tactic, the group of migrants sent by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to Martha’s Vineyard this week eventually had to be transported to the same Cape Cod military base to receive shelter and humanitarian support.
“Reverse Freedom Rides are not well known among many people, and it’s important to understand that this tactic of using people as political pawns was used 60 years ago by segregationists and White supremacists,” explained Tanisha Sullivan, president of the NAACP Boston branch.
“It’s important for us to amplify and highlight that parallel, so people can see that this type of racist behavior and these racist tactics are still being used today,” she added.
The migrants on Wednesday’s planes did not know they were being taken to Martha’s Vineyard specifically, and were induced to board planes with “representations of work assistance and immigration relief in Boston,” the Lawyers for Civil Rights group wrote in a news release.
Though DeSantis confirmed he arranged for the flights, the migrants had been in Texas, not Florida. For months, DeSantis has been talking about his plans to get Florida involved in redirecting migrants from the southern border in a way to maximize heartburn for Democratic leaders.
As news of the relocation spread, the John F. Kennedy Presidential Library quickly drew historical parallels to the Reverse Freedom Rides during the Kennedy administration.
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In 1962, a group of conservatives, intent on retaliating against desegregation efforts during the civil rights movement, funded one-way trips to the north for Black citizens.
Ad Feedback
Hundreds of Black Americans were transported to cities such as New York, Philadelphia and Chicago, recruited by members of a segregationist group called the White Citizens’ Council, with false promises of jobs and housing.
One of the targeted destination points was Hyannis Port – a village on the Cape Cod peninsula – where the largest group of riders arrived in the spring of 1962 before they were provided temporary housing at Camp Edwards near Otis Air National Guard Base.
In what many condemned as the same tactic, the group of migrants sent by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to Martha’s Vineyard this week eventually had to be transported to the same Cape Cod military base to receive shelter and humanitarian support.
“Reverse Freedom Rides are not well known among many people, and it’s important to understand that this tactic of using people as political pawns was used 60 years ago by segregationists and White supremacists,” explained Tanisha Sullivan, president of the NAACP Boston branch.
“It’s important for us to amplify and highlight that parallel, so people can see that this type of racist behavior and these racist tactics are still being used today,” she added.
Migrants enticed by job aid, immigration relief
The migrants on Wednesday’s planes did not know they were being taken to Martha’s Vineyard specifically, and were induced to board planes with “representations of work assistance and immigration relief in Boston,” the Lawyers for Civil Rights group wrote in a news release.
Though DeSantis confirmed he arranged for the flights, the migrants had been in Texas, not Florida. For months, DeSantis has been talking about his plans to get Florida involved in redirecting migrants from the southern border in a way to maximize heartburn for Democratic leaders.