Monthly Archives: April 2018

This day in history — April 14, 1906 — Horace Duncan and Fred Coker Lynched in Springfield, Illinois

Posted on April 14, 2018 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

Two innocent African American men, Horace Duncan and Fred Coker, were accused of sexual assault in April 1906 in Springfield, Missouri. Whites’ fears of interracial sex extended to any action by a black man that could be interpreted as seeking … Continue reading →

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This day in history — April 13, 1947 — Civil Rights Activist Bayard Rustin Arrested in North Carolina

Posted on April 13, 2018 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

On June 3, 1946, the Supreme Court in Morgan v. Virginia declared unconstitutional state laws that segregated interstate passengers on motor carriers. Shortly thereafter, the decision was interpreted to apply to interstate train and bus travel. The executive committee of … Continue reading →

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This day in history — April 12, 1955 — Researchers Announce Polio Vaccine, Developed from Henrietta Lacks’Cells

Posted on April 12, 2018 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

On April 12, 1955, Dr. Thomas Francis Jr. and Dr. Jonas Salk announced the successful results of the first polio vaccine. Researchers developed the vaccine using cells from the HeLa cell line, cells derived from the cancerous tissues of Henrietta … Continue reading →

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This day in history — April 11, 1913 — President Wilson Permits Segregation Within Federal Government

Posted on April 11, 2018 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

On April 11, 1913, recently inaugurated President Woodrow Wilson received Postmaster General Albert Burleson’s plan to segregate the Railway Mail Service. Burleson reported that he found it “intolerable” that white and black employees had to work together and share drinking … Continue reading →

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The DNA of Story and Song

Posted on April 10, 2018 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

I am sitting in an affluent white church which, quite frankly, smells like old money.  A middle-aged white woman walks down the aisle like a bride at a wedding and stands near the row I’m sitting in and asks if … Continue reading →

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This day in history — April 9, 1865 – Lee Surrenders to Grant at Appomattox Court House

Posted on April 9, 2018 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

On April 9, 1865, Confederate General Robert E. Lee surrendered his approximately 28,000 troops to Union General Ulysses S. Grant in the front parlor of Wilmer McLean’s home in Appomattox Court House, Virginia, effectively ending the Civil War. Less than … Continue reading →

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This day in history — April 8, 1911 — Mine Explosion near Birmingham, Alabama, Kills 128 State Prisoners

Posted on April 8, 2018 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

By 1910, the State of Alabama had become the sixth largest coal producer in the United States. Between 1875 and 1900, Alabama’s coal production grew from 67,000 tons to 8.4 million tons. This growth was driven in large part by … Continue reading →

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This day in history — April 7, 1712 — Enslaved People Revolt in New York City

Posted on April 7, 2018 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

In 1712, New York City had a large enslaved population and the city’s whites feared the threat of rebellion. Enslaved people in New York City suffered many of the same brutal punishments and methods of control faced by their counterparts … Continue reading →

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This day in history — April 6, 1958 — Execution of Wrongfully Convicted Black Teen Jeremiah Reeves Sparks Protest in Montgomery

Posted on April 6, 2018 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

On November 10, 1952, Jeremiah Reeves, a 16-year-old black high school student and jazz drummer, was arrested in Montgomery, Alabama, and interrogated about the rape of Mabel Ann Crowder the previous July. Ms. Crowder, a white woman, had claimed rape … Continue reading →

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This day in history — April 5, 1921– Georgia: White Landowner Faces Trial in Murder of Eleven Black Sharecroppers

Posted on April 5, 2018 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

Although slavery was officially abolished in 1865, African Americans continued to be held as de facto slaves in systems of peonage, a form of debt bondage. “Peons” or indentured servants owed money to their “masters” and were forced to work … Continue reading →

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