Category Archives: Uncategorized

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 →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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 →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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 →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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 →

Posted in Justice Chronicles, Lest We Forget, race, Slavery, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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 →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

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 →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

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 →

Posted in Uncategorized | Leave a comment

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 →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

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 →

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

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 →

Posted in Black Shadows and Through the White Looking Glass, crime, Justice Chronicles, Lest We Forget, Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment