Paul Revere by Cyrus Dallin, North End, Boston

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Sunday, September 18, 2022

 

JFK Library 
@JFKLibrary 

To embarrass Northern liberals and humiliate Black people, southern White Citizens Councils started their so-called "Reverse Freedom Rides," giving Black people one-way tickets to northern cities with false promises of jobs, housing, and better lives.







6 comments:

Dave Miller said...

One of the leaders of this movement, Amis Guthridge, a lawyer from Arkansas, had this to say about the concept...

"For many years, certain politicians, educators and certain religious leaders have used the white people of the South as a whipping boy, to put it mildly, to further their own ends and their political campaigns... We're going to find out if people like Ted Kennedy ... and the Kennedys, all of them, really do have an interest in the Negro people, really do have a love for the Negro."

It was not about helping people, the job of government, it was about using them to make a point, purposefully inflicting pain, not choosing between two bad options. It was a deliberate choice of southern state leaders to harm people for political gain. A choice that did not have to be made.

Here's the NPR story on the reverse "freedom rides."

Now southern governors work together to avoid legal consequences by allowing legal immigrants seeking asylum to be tricked into "agreeing to be relocated" on false promises. Then they vow to continue a practice meant by all admission, not to help people or provide for the common good, but to hurt, harm and humiliate defenseless ppl in a bid to score political points from a group of supporters that praises crudeness and harm as politically savvy and necessary.

Dave Miller said...

One of the leaders of this movement, Amis Guthridge, a lawyer from Arkansas, had this say about the concept...

"For many years, certain politicians, educators and certain religious leaders have used the white people of the South as a whipping boy, to put it mildly, to further their own ends and their political campaigns... We're going to find out if people like Ted Kennedy ... and the Kennedys, all of them, really do have an interest in the Negro people, really do have a love for the Negro."

It was not about helping people, the job of government, it was about using them to make a point, purposefully inflicting pain, not choosing between two bad options. It was a deliberate choice of southern state leaders to harm people for political gain.

A choice that did not have to be made.

Here's the NPR story on the reverse "freedom rides."

Shaw Kenawe said...

Dave

It looks like DeSantis outsmarted himself. His stunt using refugees as human props is backfiring on him. The large Hispanic population in Florida is very angry.


POLITICO

‘Huge mistake’: DeSantis’ migrant transports could undercut support in South Florida
The move by DeSantis dominated the radio and television airwaves in South Florida — where large swaths of Hispanic voters live.

One Spanish radio host loudly denounced the move and even compared DeSantis’ actions to that of deceased Cuban dictator Fidel Castro, who relocated Cubans in the early ‘60s."

Dave Miller said...

Shaw... regarding South Florida, certainly, if exit polling is to be believed, Trump made gains in So Florida by tying Biden to Socialism. That helped ensure the Dems were not able to make in roads into not just the Cuban population there, but the Venezuelan dominated area known locally as Westonzuela.

However, the recent moves by De Santis, self serving in my opinion, may have put an area that leaned to the GOP in the last election into play for 2022 and beyond.

It was a ham handed move designed to appeal to his mostly white, immigrant hostile MAGA GOP base. And in that, he was successful, but I doubt it was net plus to his bottom line in FLA.

We'll see how it plays out in the governors race in November.

Louise said...

Good for Ron Desantis for sending a shipment of illegals to Martha's Vineyard, and the Democrats are once again suddenly horrified, just as they were when Governor Abbot sent them to Chicago and New York.

Shaw Kenawe said...

Louise is another troll who doesn't know the law and comes here to repeat her ignorant talking points.

The Venezuelans are asylum seekers who were following the law seeking refuge.

I respectfully suggest that Louise and her ilk educate themselves on this point.