Category Archives: Justice Chronicles

Writings about crime and punishment, and more punishment.

This day in history — April 21, 2007 — Turner County High School in Ashburn, Georgia, Holds First Racially Integrated Prom

Posted on April 21, 2018 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

On April 21, 2007, Turner County High School students attended the school’s first racially integrated prom. Located in Ashburn, Georgia, a small, rural, peanut-farming town of 4400 residents, the school’s racial demographics reflected those of the local community: 55% black … Continue reading →

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This day in history — April 18, 1946 — Davis Knight Marries Junie Lee Spradley in Mississippi

Posted on April 18, 2018 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

On April 18, 1946, a thirty-two-year-old Navy veteran named Davis Knight married Junie Lee Spradley, a white woman. In June 1948, the state indicted Mr. Knight for violating a law that prohibited “marriage or cohabitation between white persons and those … Continue reading →

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This day in history — April 16, 1848 — Enslaved Africans Try to Escape Washington, D.C., Aboard Ship

Posted on April 16, 2018 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

In mid-nineteenth century Washington, D.C., slavery was legal, pervasive, and a source of significant and growing tension. Abolitionists maintained a forceful presence in business and politics throughout the city and enslaved people escaping bondage in the nation’s capital often fled … Continue reading →

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On this Day in History — April 14, 1945 –White House Correspondents’ Association Denies Black Reporter Access to FDR Funeral

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

On April 14, 1945, the White House Correspondents’ Association (WHCA) tried to exclude Harry McAlpin, the only African American White House correspondent, from observing a funeral service for President Franklin D. Roosevelt at the White House. Two of twelve spots … Continue reading →

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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 — March 30, 2018 — No Bloody Friday!

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

On this day in history, the Equal Racial Justice Initiative’s A History of Racial Injustice – 2018 Calendar, does not report an incident….  I wonder if racist whites ceased their Reign of Terror against Black people because it was Good Friday?  … Continue reading →

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Willie Lynch, On Language

Posted on December 28, 2017 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

I am a self-styled language cop, especially as it relates to criminal justice language, how it has been used not only to dehumanize and stigmatize people with criminal justice involvement, but also to control the narrative, how such people with … Continue reading →

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An Open Letter to Our Friends on the Question of Language, by Eddie Ellis, President, NuLeadership on Urban Solutions

Posted on December 17, 2017 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

Dear Friends: The Center for NuLeadership on Urban Solutions is a human justice policy, advocacy and training center founded, directed and staffed by academics and activists who were formerly incarcerated.  It is the first and only one of its kind … Continue reading →

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Words Matter: Another Look at the Question of Language, by Eddie Ellis, President, Center for NuLeadership on Urban Solutions

Posted on December 17, 2017 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

We need to be constantly reminded about this language: Words matter.  They shape perceptions and understanding, both of past and present events and of future possibilities and, therefore, future events.  Semantic and public acceptance of terms like “formerly incarcerated” or … Continue reading →

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