Justice Godparents

Justice Godfather – Kenneth R. Warren

Ken Warren, minister at the Unitarian Church of Barnstable from 1953-1991, was an active participant and leader in the community in areas of social justice, including the Cape Cod Council of Churches, the United World Federalists, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, the Barnstable Housing Authority, the Cape Cod Mental Health Association and the Massachusetts Society for Prevention of Cruelty to Children. Throughout his career, he was committed to the causes of civil rights and world peace.

The Kenneth Warren papers document his work with the Cape Cod Refugee Relief Committee.

UCB is located in Barnstable, Massachusetts, which includes Hyannis Port and the home of the Kennedy family, Hyannis Port and its association with the Kennedys made it a target of segregationist leaders and a stop on Reverse Freedom Ride routes.

Ken Warren’s involvement with the Reverse Freedom Rides began on May 8, 1962, when a meeting was called at the Unitarian Church in Barnstable (UCB) to advocate and plan for the anticipated arrival of the Reverse Freedom Riders. An informal committee was formed on that day, included UCB member Margaret Moseley and was formalized on May 29 with Reverend Warren as its chair. The Cape Cod Refugee Relief Committee assisted the arrivals and coordinated with several local government welfare agencies to address housing, transportation and employment for the riders. During the summer of 1962, at least 96 African Americans arrived in Cape Cod as part of the Reverse Freedom Rides; of those, nine returned to the South, six left New England, and 81 stayed in Massachusetts, finding work and lodging in various cities and towns.