Category Archives: Race, History & American Society

Writing on race, Black history, slavery, segregation, civil rights, white supremacy, racial inequality, historical memory, and the continuing influence of American history on contemporary society.

On this day in history, May 22, 1872 –Congress Restores Confederates’ Rights with the Amnesty Act of 1872

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

Even while the Civil War was in progress, the Union offered amnesty to Confederates in an attempt to encourage loyalty to the Union and begin the process of reconstruction. The Confiscation Act of 1862 authorized the President of the United … Continue reading →

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On this day in history, May 21, 1961 –National Guard Disperses White Crowd Threatening Freedom Riders in Montgomery, Alabama

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

The Freedom Riders were an interracial group of civil rights activists who began riding interstate buses in 1961 to test Supreme Court decisions that prohibited discrimination in interstate passenger travel. Their efforts were unpopular with whites who supported continued segregation. … Continue reading →

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On this day in history, May 21, 1961 — National Guard Disperses White Crowd Threatening Freedom Riders in Montgomery, Alabama

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

The Freedom Riders were an interracial group of civil rights activists who began riding interstate buses in 1961 to test Supreme Court decisions that prohibited discrimination in interstate passenger travel. Their efforts were unpopular with whites who supported continued segregation. … Continue reading →

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On this day in history, May 20, 1961 — Mob Attacks Freedom Riders in Montgomery, Alabama

Posted on May 20, 2018 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

On May 16, 1961, mob violence in Birmingham, Alabama, threatened to prematurely end the Freedom Ride campaign organized by the Congress on Racial Equality. The Nashville Student Movement, an interracial group of twenty-two college students studying in Tennessee, volunteered to … Continue reading →

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On this day in history, May 19, 1994 — Justice Department Sues After Principal Threatens to Cancel Prom Due to Interracial Couples

Posted on May 19, 2018 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

On February 24, 1994, Hulond Humphries, principal of Randolph County High School in Wedowee, Alabama, announced at a student assembly that the school’s prom would be canceled if interracial couples attended. When a biracial student stood and asked whom she … Continue reading →

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On this day in history, May 17, 1954 — United States Supreme Court Declares Racial Segregation of Public Schools Unconstitutional

Posted on May 17, 2018 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

The Supreme Court’s landmark decision in Brown v. Board of Education grew out of several cases challenging racial segregation in school districts across America, filed as part of the NAACP Legal Defense Fund’s strategy to bar the practice nationwide. Because the lawsuits … Continue reading →

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On this day in history, May 16, 2012 North Carolina Attempts to Compensate Eugenics Victims

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

On May 16, 2012, the North Carolina legislature considered a bill recommending compensation for victims of the state’s forced sterilization program. Beginning in 1933, the Eugenics Board of North Carolina oversaw approximately 7600 forced sterilizations. In contrast with other eugenics … Continue reading →

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On this day in history, May 15, 1916 — Jesse Washington Brutally Lynched in Waco, Texas

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

On May 15, 1916, after an all-white jury convicted Jesse Washington of the murder of a white woman, he was taken from the courtroom and burned alive in front of a mob of 15,000. When he was accused of killing … Continue reading →

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On this day in history, May 14, 1961 –Freedom Riders Attacked in Anniston, Alabama

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

The Freedom Riders, an interracial group of civil rights activists, began riding interstate buses in 1961 to test Supreme Court decisions that prohibited discrimination in interstate passenger travel. Their efforts were unpopular with whites who supported segregation. On Mother’s Day, … Continue reading →

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On this day in history, May 13, 1956 — Four White Men Kidnap and Rape Black Girl in Tylertown, Mississippi

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

On May 13, 1956, sixteen-year-old Annette Butler of Tylertown, Mississippi, was kidnapped and gang raped by four white men. Ms. Butler and her family reported the assault and the men were arrested, jailed, and tried for the crime – a … Continue reading →

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