Category Archives: Uncategorized

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 26, 1960 — Whites Attack Black Protesters at Segregated Mississippi Beach

Posted on April 26, 2018 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

The Biloxi beach wade-in was a locally-organized nonviolent protest that turned into what the New York Times called the “worse race riot in Mississippi history.” The protesters walked onto Biloxi beach in order to hold a “wade-in” in the waters … Continue reading →

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This day in history — April 24, 2013 — Alabama Man Sentenced to Jail for Consensual Homosexual Sex

Posted on April 26, 2018 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

On April 24, 2013, a Dallas County, Alabama, trial judge sentenced DeWayne Williams to one year incarceration for violating a state law that criminalizes certain types of consensual sex between unmarried partners. Mr. Williams had originally been charged with 1st … Continue reading →

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This day in history — April 24, 1877 — Federal Troops Withdraw from Louisiana, Marking the End of Reconstruction

Posted on April 26, 2018 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

On April 24, 1877, President Rutherford B. Hayes withdrew federal troops from Louisiana, the last federally-occupied former Confederate state. The withdrawal marked the end of Reconstruction and paved the way for the unrestrained resurgence of white Democratic rule in the … Continue reading →

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This day in history — — April 20, 2012 — First Challenge Under North Carolina’s Racial Justice Act Proves Racial Bias

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

On April 20, 2012, Cumberland County Senior Resident Superior Court Judge Gregory Weeks issued the first decision under North Carolina’s Racial Justice Act, ruling that racial bias had played a role in Marcus Robinson’s 1991 trial and commuting Mr. Robinson’s … Continue reading →

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This day in history — April 19, 1989 — “Central Park Five” Arrested for Rape

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

On April 19, 1989, a woman was brutally raped and beaten in New York City’s Central Park. Police officers soon arrested five young men – four black teenagers and one Latino teen – and subjected them to hours of intense … Continue reading →

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This day in history — April 13, 1947 — Civil Rights Activist Bayard Rustin Arrested in North Carolina

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

On June 3, 1946, the Supreme Court in Morgan v. Virginia declared unconstitutional state laws that segregated interstate passengers on motor carriers. Shortly thereafter, the decision was interpreted to apply to interstate train and bus travel. The executive committee of … Continue reading →

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This day in history — April 12, 1955 — Researchers Announce Polio Vaccine, Developed from Henrietta Lacks’Cells

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

On April 12, 1955, Dr. Thomas Francis Jr. and Dr. Jonas Salk announced the successful results of the first polio vaccine. Researchers developed the vaccine using cells from the HeLa cell line, cells derived from the cancerous tissues of Henrietta … Continue reading →

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The DNA of Story and Song

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

I am sitting in an affluent white church which, quite frankly, smells like old money.  A middle-aged white woman walks down the aisle like a bride at a wedding and stands near the row I’m sitting in and asks if … 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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