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.

This day in History — April 1, 1875 — United States Supreme Court Hears Argument in United States v. Cruikshank and Later Invalidates Convictions for Participating in Colfax, Louisiana Massacre

Posted on April 27, 2018 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

On April 13, 1873, in Colfax, Louisiana, hundreds of white men clashed with freedmen at the Grant Parish courthouse. While only three white men died, it is estimated that nearly 150 black people died in the ensuing struggle – many … Continue reading →

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This day in history — April 25, 1959 — Mack Charles Parker Lynched in Mississippi

Posted on April 27, 2018 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

In what some historians call the “last classic lynching in the United States,” Mack Charles Parker was killed on April 25, 1959, after he was accused of raping a pregnant white woman in Mississippi. Parker, a black man, denied the … Continue reading →

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This day in history — April 24, 2013 — Alabama Man Sentenced to Jail for Consensual Homosexual Sex

Posted on April 27, 2018 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

On April 24, 2013, a Dallas County, Alabama, trial judge sentenced DeWayne Williams to one year incarceration for violating a state law that criminalizes certain types of consensual sex between unmarried partners. Mr. Williams had originally been charged with 1st … Continue reading →

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This day in history — April 10, 1956 — Nat King Cole Attacked by White Men While Performing in Birmingham, Alabama

Posted on April 27, 2018 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

On April 10, 1956, African American singer and pianist Nat King Cole was performing before a white-only audience of 4000 at the Municipal Auditorium in Birmingham, Alabama, when he was attacked and knocked down by a group of white men. … Continue reading →

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This day in history — April 27, 2015 — States Continue to Celebrate Confederate Memorial Day

Posted on April 27, 2018 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

In 2015, several Southern states continued to celebrate Confederate Memorial Day in memory of the surrender of Confederate General Joseph Johnston and his army on April 26, 1865. In Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia, the last Monday of the month is … Continue reading →

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This day in history — April 26, 1960 — Whites Attack Black Protesters at Segregated Mississippi Beach

Posted on April 26, 2018 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

The Biloxi beach wade-in was a locally-organized nonviolent protest that turned into what the New York Times called the “worse race riot in Mississippi history.” The protesters walked onto Biloxi beach in order to hold a “wade-in” in the waters … Continue reading →

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This day in history — April 24, 2013 — Alabama Man Sentenced to Jail for Consensual Homosexual Sex

Posted on April 26, 2018 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

On April 24, 2013, a Dallas County, Alabama, trial judge sentenced DeWayne Williams to one year incarceration for violating a state law that criminalizes certain types of consensual sex between unmarried partners. Mr. Williams had originally been charged with 1st … Continue reading →

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This day in history — April 24, 1877 — Federal Troops Withdraw from Louisiana, Marking the End of Reconstruction

Posted on April 26, 2018 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

On April 24, 1877, President Rutherford B. Hayes withdrew federal troops from Louisiana, the last federally-occupied former Confederate state. The withdrawal marked the end of Reconstruction and paved the way for the unrestrained resurgence of white Democratic rule in the … Continue reading →

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This day in history — April 23, 1899 — Sam Hose Lynched in Newnan, Georgia

Posted on April 23, 2018 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

In January 1899, five Palmetto, Georgia, businesses were destroyed by two fires of unknown cause. Though there was no evidence to support the theory, white residents quickly concluded that the fires were set by black conspirators intent on destroying property … Continue reading →

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This day in history — April 22, 1987 — United States Supreme Court Upholds Death Penalty Despite “Inevitable” Racial Bias

Posted on April 22, 2018 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

In October 1978, Warren McCleskey, a black man, was condemned to die for killing a white police officer during a robbery. On appeal, Mr. McCleskey argued that Georgia’s capital punishment system was racially biased in violation of the Eighth and … Continue reading →

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