Category Archives: Lest We Forget

This day in American history, October 11, 1944 — United States Supreme Court Hears Arguments in Korematsu v. United States

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

Following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in December 1941, the United States declared war on Japan. In February 1942, President Franklin D. Roosevelt issued Executive Order 9066, authorizing military exclusion of any citizens from areas deemed critical to national … Continue reading →

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On this day in American History, September 18, 1923 — Pennsylvania Mayor Orders Black and Mexican American Residents to Leave

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

Late in August 1923, Mayor Joseph Cauffiel of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, issued an executive order demanding that African American and Mexican American residents who had lived there for fewer than seven years leave town “for their own safety.” As justification, he … Continue reading →

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On this Day in American history, September 15, 1963 — Four Black Girls Killed in Bombing of Birmingham, Alabama, Church

Posted on September 15, 2018 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

In 1963, the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church was the largest black church in Birmingham, Alabama. Due to its size and central location, the church served as a meeting place for civil rights activists in the community at a time when … Continue reading →

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On this Day in American history, September 14, 1874 — White Supremacist Militia Overthrows Louisiana’s Elected, Integrated State Government

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

In 1872, William Pitt Kellogg, a supporter of Reconstruction, was elected governor of Louisiana, largely on the strength of his support among African-American voters. That same year, Caesar Carpenter Antoine, an African American man, was elected lieutenant governor. The electoral … Continue reading →

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On this Day in American history, September 13, 1976 — In Lawsuit Settlement, Alaska Agrees to Build Local High Schools for Native Students

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

In the late 1890s, the Gold Rush drastically increased the Alaska territory’s non-Native population. As white residents settled in Alaska, they began to demand a separate system of schools to educate their children apart from Native children. In 1905, the … Continue reading →

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On this Day in American history, September 12, 1966 — Black Students Attacked While Integrating Schools in Grenada, Mississippi

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

Twelve years after the United States Supreme Court’s landmark Brown v. Board of Education ruling holding school segregation unconstitutional, the city of Grenada, Mississippi, continued to operate a segregated school system. In August of 1966, a federal judge ordered that African American … Continue reading →

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On this Day in American history, September 11, 1895 — South Carolina Officials Begin Proceedings to Disenfranchise Black Residents

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

On September 11, 1895, South Carolina began the process of rewriting the state constitution with the express purpose of disenfranchising the state’s African-American voters and restoring white supremacy in all matters political. The convention’s most prominent figure was Benjamin Tillman, … Continue reading →

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On this Day in American history, September 10, 1963 — State Funds Private School for Whites to Avoid Integration in Tuskegee, Alabama

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

In January 1963, African American parents of students in Macon County, Alabama, sued the Macon County Board of Education to desegregate the county’s public schools. Though the United States Supreme Court had declared school segregation unconstitutional nearly nine years earlier, … Continue reading →

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On this Day in American history, September 9, 1739 — Enslaved Black People Rebel in South Carolina Colony

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

During the eighteenth century, the South Carolina colony’s economy was based on rice and cotton, which relied heavily on slave labor. Due to the slave trade that brought many black laborers from West Africa and the Caribbean, the territory’s enslaved … Continue reading →

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On this Day in American history, September 8, 1959 — Black Man Vows to Sue Mississippi Southern College if Denied Admission Due to Race

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

In 1955, Clyde Kennard, a black U.S. Army veteran and Mississippi native, attempted to enroll in Mississippi Southern College, an all-white public university in the city of Hattiesburg. Mr. Kennard’s credentials met the criteria for admission, but his application was … Continue reading →

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