Hysteria reigned, fueled by the rumors of a large black insurrection in the town. Violence peaked the next day on June 1, with thousands of white citizens pouring into Greenwood, tearing apart businesses, setting fires, and beating blacks. Firefighters trying to extinguish blazes were threatened with guns. An unarmed black man in a theater was shot and killed.
From ordinary to extraordinary – Edward Brooke III
Following the Civil War, Illinois was still not a welcoming place for African Americans. Although the Illinois Black Codes were repealed when the 13th Amendment ending slavery passed, the legislation does not immediately change hearts. Generations of prejudice keeping African … Continued
Who was the first black Congresswoman from Texas?
“I have always felt that Mr. Adams, in a large degree, derived his unusual power of mind from the training given his hands in the process of mastering well three trades during the days of slavery. If one goes to-day into any Southern town, and asks for the leading and most reliable coloured man in the community, I believe that in five cases out of ten he will be directed to a Negro who learned a trade during the days of slavery.
“I walked up to the guard who had let the white students in. He didn’t move. When I tried to squeeze past him, he raised his bayonet and then the other guards moved in and they raised their bayonets. They glared at me with a mean look and I was very frightened and didn’t know what to do. I turned around and the crowd came toward me. They moved closer and closer. Somebody started yelling, “Drag her over this tree! Let’s take care of that nigger!”
Sometimes credit in history is manipulated for image. Taking nothing away from Rosa Parks, but she was far from the first to stand (or sit ) for her rights. In fact, several months before Rosa’s now famous refusal to give … Continued
Webster Anderson and other heroes The Vietnam War was another period of deep division in our nation. The fear of Communism, with Khrushchev banging his shoe at the UN and declaring that the grandchildren of the Boomer generation would live … Continued