Category Archives: race

This day in history — April 10, 1956 — Nat King Cole Attacked by White Men While Performing in Birmingham, Alabama

Posted on April 27, 2018 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

On April 10, 1956, African American singer and pianist Nat King Cole was performing before a white-only audience of 4000 at the Municipal Auditorium in Birmingham, Alabama, when he was attacked and knocked down by a group of white men. … Continue reading →

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This day in history — April 27, 2015 — States Continue to Celebrate Confederate Memorial Day

Posted on April 27, 2018 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

In 2015, several Southern states continued to celebrate Confederate Memorial Day in memory of the surrender of Confederate General Joseph Johnston and his army on April 26, 1865. In Alabama, Mississippi, and Georgia, the last Monday of the month is … Continue reading →

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This day in history — April 22, 1987 — United States Supreme Court Upholds Death Penalty Despite “Inevitable” Racial Bias

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

In October 1978, Warren McCleskey, a black man, was condemned to die for killing a white police officer during a robbery. On appeal, Mr. McCleskey argued that Georgia’s capital punishment system was racially biased in violation of the Eighth and … Continue reading →

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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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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 11, 1913 — President Wilson Permits Segregation Within Federal Government

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

On April 11, 1913, recently inaugurated President Woodrow Wilson received Postmaster General Albert Burleson’s plan to segregate the Railway Mail Service. Burleson reported that he found it “intolerable” that white and black employees had to work together and share drinking … 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 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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