Author Archives: William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

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About William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

William Eric Waters is an award-winning poet, fiction writer, essayist, educator, criminal-justice scholar, and nonprofit executive. Writing as William E. Waters, he is the author of the epic poem Black Shadows and Through the White Looking Glass and three poetry collections: Sometimes Blue Knights Wear Black Hats, The Black Feminine Mystique, and The Black Blood of Poetry. Under the pen name Easy Waters, he is the author of the novel Streets of Rage and the short-story collection Conundrums: Stories of Law & Justice. His work explores Black history, race, law, punishment, institutional power, accountability, redemption, and resilience.

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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This day in history — April 4, 1968 — Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Assassinated

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

Thirteen hundred African American sanitation workers in Memphis, Tennessee, went on strike on February 12, 1968, to protest low pay and poor treatment. When city leaders largely ignored the strike and refused to negotiate, the workers sought assistance from civil … Continue reading →

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This day in history — April 3, 1851 — Thomas Sims, Escaped Slave, Captured in Boston

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

Thomas Sims, Escaped Slave, Captured in Boston In 1850, the U.S. Congress passed the Fugitive Slave Act, which sought to force Northern officials to apprehend alleged runaway slaves and ensure their return to slavery in the South. Any official who … Continue reading →

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This day in history — April 2, 1933 — Reuben Micou Lynched in Winston County, Mississippi

Posted on April 2, 2018 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

Reuben Micou Lynched in Winston County, Mississippi On April 2, 1933, a mob of white men broke into the Winston County, Mississippi jail in Louisville, Mississippi to lynch a 65-year-old black man named Reuben Micou. Mr. Micou had been arrested … Continue reading →

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Confederate Soldiers Fought During the Vietnam War

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

Did you know that during the Vietnam War, a division of American soldiers was fighting under a Confederate flag?  President Johnson wanted the flags removed.* This is yet another example of the South not conceding that it lost the Civil … Continue reading →

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