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.

A Statue for the Unknown Slave Woman?

Posted on July 5, 2013 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

I was watching the news, and saw people at the Statue of Liberty, which was reopened today, the Fourth of July. Many people commented on this statue as a symbol of freedom. And it made me think of that other … Continue reading →

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“My Lord, What a Morning”

Posted on May 24, 2013 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

Hard at work on my third book of poetry, tentatively titled, “The Black Feminine Mystique.” It’s a collection of poetry for and about women of color, from myth to reality, from history to my story. Here is one of my … Continue reading →

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“Prison-Based Gerrymandering” and the 3/5ths Compromise

Posted on May 4, 2013 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

                The U.S. Census Bureau counts incarcerated individuals at the locations where they are incarcerated rather than at their prior addresses.  This has political as well as economic consequences.                  Most states’ state … Continue reading →

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Remembering Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr

Posted on January 16, 2012 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

My earliest political memory is of Dr. King’s assassination. I was 7 years old. I didn’t understand the enormity or impact of his death. All I knew, as a child, using the adults’ sentiments as a barometer, was that the … Continue reading →

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Remembering Attica

Posted on September 14, 2011 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

Today is the 40th Anniversary of the Attica Rebellion. For far too many, it is an event not remembered, and is overshadowed by 9-11, the 10th Anniversary of 9-11. But when it happened, in September of 1971, the repercussions of … Continue reading →

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