Author Archives: William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

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About William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

Award-winning poet, playwright, and essayist. Author of three books of poetry, "Black Shadows and Through the White Looking Glass: Remembrance of Things Past and Present"; "Sometimes Blue Knights Wear Black Hats"; "The Black Feminine Mystique," and a novel, "Streets of Rage," written under his pen name Easy Waters. All four books are available on Amazon.com. Waters has over 25 years of experience in the criminal legal system. He is a change agent for a just society and a catalyst for change.

On this day in history, June 7, 1920 — Ku Klux Klan Mounts Publicity Campaign to Attract Members

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

Confederate veterans founded the Ku Klux Klan in Pulaski, Tennessee, in 1865. From beneath white hoods, they terrorized freedmen and Republican politicians with threats, beatings, and murder. They strived to undermine Reconstruction and restore racial subordination in the South. Faced … Continue reading →

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On this day in history, June 7, 2016 — The Fatal Shooting of Philando Castile

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

On July 6, 2016, 32-year-old Philando Castile was shot and killed by Jeronimo Yanez, a St. Anthony police officer, during a traffic stop for a broken taillight in St. Paul, Minnesota. Mr. Castile was shot multiple times from close range. … Continue reading →

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On this day in history, June 6, 1966 — James Meredith Shot During March Against Fear in Mississippi

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

On June 5, 1966, equipped with only a helmet and walking stick, James Meredith began a 220-mile March Against Fear from Memphis, Tennessee, to Jackson, Mississippi. Mr. Meredith, an activist who had integrated the University of Mississippi four years earlier, organized the … Continue reading →

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On this day in history, June 5, 2013 — North Carolina Legislature Votes to Repeal the Racial Justice Act

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

On June 5, 2013, the North Carolina legislature voted to overturn the Racial Justice Act, an historic law that prohibited the use of race in the imposition of the death penalty. Passed in 2009, the Racial Justice Act (RJA) required … Continue reading →

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On this day in history, June 4, 2011 — United States Census Bureau: Over 1 in 4 Black and Latino Americans Living in Poverty

Posted on June 4, 2018 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

The United States Census Bureau calculates national poverty levels by using a threshold income value set according to family size and composition. In 2010, a family of five earning a combined annual income below $26,675 qualified as “impoverished.” On June … Continue reading →

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On this day in history, June 2, 2011 — Alabama Passes Anti-Immigrant Legislation Authorizing Racial Profiling

Posted on June 3, 2018 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

On June 2, 2011, Alabama’s Republican-controlled state legislature passed House Bill (HB) 56, a controversial anti-immigration bill much tougher than a similar Arizona law passed the year before. One week later, Alabama Governor Robert Bentley signed the bill into law. … Continue reading →

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On this day in history, June 3, 1943 –White Factory Workers in Detroit Strike to Protest Promotion of Black Workers

Posted on June 3, 2018 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

In the early 1940’s, many people migrated to Northern cities from rural areas in the Deep South in search of manufacturing jobs in the growing wartime economy. The four-county area of Detroit, Michigan, received a disproportionally large number of defense … Continue reading →

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On this day in history, June 1, 1921 — White Rioters in Tulsa Leave Hundreds Dead, Black Community Destroyed

Posted on June 1, 2018 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

In 1921, the black community of Tulsa, Oklahoma, enjoyed significant economic prosperity and political independence. Located in the city’s Greenwood District and known as “Negro Wall Street,” it was considered one of the wealthiest black communities in the nation. On … Continue reading →

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On this day in history, May 30, 1822 — Denmark Vesey’s Rebellion Against Slavery Uncovered

Posted on May 30, 2018 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

Denmark Vesey spent his childhood traveling throughout the Caribbean as an enslaved black servant of a white sea captain, then worked for the captain as a house servant in Charleston, South Carolina. Mr. Vesey eventually started a family, fathered three … Continue reading →

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On this day in history, May 30, 1943 White Sailors and Soldiers Attack Latino Youth in Los Angeles Zoot Suit Riots

Posted on May 30, 2018 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

World War II fueled a population influx into Los Angeles, California, in 1943 that coincided with an increase in petty crime. White residents blamed Latino youth, who often wore distinctive, colorful garments known as “zoot suits.” Many members of the … Continue reading →

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