Category Archives: Uncategorized

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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May 9, 1961 — Civil Rights Leader John Lewis Assaulted at South Carolina Greyhound Bus Terminal

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

On May 9, 1961, 21-year-old John Lewis, civil rights activist and now United States Congressman from Georgia, was savagely assaulted by a mob at the Rock Hill, South Carolina, Greyhound bus terminal. A few days earlier, John Lewis and twelve … Continue reading →

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May 8, 2009 — Klansmen Burn Cross in African American Neighborhood in Alabama

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

On May 8, 2009, Steven Joshua Dinkle, the former “Exalted Cyclops” of the Ozark, Alabama chapter of the International Keystone Knights of the Ku Klux Klan (KKK), and one of his KKK recruits, Thomas Windell Smith, burned a cross in … Continue reading →

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On this day in history, May 7, 1955 — Rev. George Lee Fatally Shot After Attempting to Register to Vote in Belzoni, Mississippi

Posted on May 7, 2018 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

Reverend George Lee, co-founder of Belzoni, Mississippi’s NAACP chapter and the first African American to register to vote in Humphreys County since Reconstruction, is considered one of the first martyrs of the Civil Rights Movement. Rev. Lee first moved to … Continue reading →

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May 2, 1963 — Black Children Arrested and Assaulted While Protesting Segregation in Birmingham

Posted on May 2, 2018 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

On May 2, 1963, more than 700 black children protesting racial segregation in Birmingham, Alabama, were arrested, blasted with fire hoses, clubbed by police, and attacked by police dogs. As part of the Children’s Crusade launched by Martin Luther King, … Continue reading →

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This day in history — April 30, 1992 — Los Angeles Police Officers Acquitted in Rodney King Beating, Sparking Riots

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

In March 1991, Los Angeles, California, police officers stopped Rodney King for driving under the influence and evading arrest and severely beat him with batons, causing broken bones and other significant injuries. A bystander recorded the violent assault on video … Continue reading →

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This day in history — April 29, 1963 — United States Supreme Court Outlaws Segregated Courtroom Seating

Posted on April 29, 2018 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

In April 1962, Ford T. Johnson, Jr. appeared in a Richmond, Virginia, city traffic court and was convicted of contempt because he refused to sit in the segregated courtroom’s “Negro” section. Mr. Johnson was unaware of the segregated seating and … Continue reading →

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This day in history — April 28, 1936 — Lint Shaw Lynched in Georgia Eight Hours Before Trial

Posted on April 28, 2018 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

On April 28, 1936, a 45-year-old black farmer named Lint Shaw was shot to death by a mob of forty men in Colbert, Georgia – just eight hours before he was scheduled to go on trial for an attempted criminal … Continue reading →

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This day in History — April 1, 1875 — United States Supreme Court Hears Argument in United States v. Cruikshank and Later Invalidates Convictions for Participating in Colfax, Louisiana Massacre

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

On April 13, 1873, in Colfax, Louisiana, hundreds of white men clashed with freedmen at the Grant Parish courthouse. While only three white men died, it is estimated that nearly 150 black people died in the ensuing struggle – many … Continue reading →

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