Dr. King’s Impact on Air Transportation
Today the nation remembers the impact of Dr. Marting Luther King, Jr. had on our nation. His nonviolent direct-action tactics were down the opposition and invoked federal action and legislation reforms to open up facilities to all. His campaigns also pointed out the inequities in employment of minorities. Aviation’s progress in this arena of equality has brought diversity to public and private entities, but there’s more to be done.
DR. KING’S IMPACT ON TRANSPORTATION was not limited to buses. He also played a significant role in the Freedom Rides campaign, which was a series of political and social protests against racial segregation on interstate buses and bus terminals. The Freedom Rides were launched by student activists from the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) in 1961 to challenge segregation on interstate buses and bus terminals. The riders met violent opposition in the Deep South, garnering extensive media attention and eventually forcing federal intervention from John F. Kennedy’s administration. The campaign succeeded in securing an Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) ban on segregation in all facilities under their jurisdiction.
On May 29, 1961, Attorney General Robert Kennedy petitioned the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) to issue regulations banning segregation, and the ICC subsequently decreed that by November 1, 1961, bus carriers and terminals serving interstate travel had to be integrated.
The Freedom Rides and Freedom Riders made substantial gains in the fight for equal access to public accommodations. Federal orders to remove Jim Crow signs on interstate facilities did not change social mores or political institutions overnight, but the Freedom Riders nonetheless struck a powerful blow to racial segregation.
The battle over bus segregation led to opening up all other forms of interstate transportation. According to a NASM article, the airline seating was not segregated while many Southern airports followed Jim Crow. Another article makes the broad statement that blacks were:
“More welcome on planes than trains, many early Black flyers took to the air with enthusiasm.
It also found:
“Black travelers were first in line for any kind of travel disruption and were sometimes bumped to make room for white passengers.”
The author also related the unfortunate experience of Mr. And Mrs. Robinson flying to his spring training in Florida:
While America does not tolerate racism, there are insidious forms of discrimination which still exist, and we should be aware.
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