Category Archives: Uncategorized

On this day in American history, August 16, 2006 — Florida Attorney General Names Suspects in 55-Year-Old Civil Rights Murders

Posted on August 16, 2018 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

On the evening of December 25, 1951, a bomb exploded at the Florida home of Harry and Harriette Moore, killing the couple on their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. Harry Moore’s mother and the couple’s daughter were asleep in adjoining rooms but … Continue reading →

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On this day in Amrican history, August 15, 1963 — Nine Years After Brown v. Board, Virginia Teenagers Jailed For Protesting Segregated Public Education

Posted on August 15, 2018 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

On August 15, 1963, thirty-two teenaged protestors who challenged the Prince Edward County School Board’s refusal to integrate their public school system were released from jail. The juveniles had been arrested in two separate demonstrations held in the town of … Continue reading →

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On this day in American history, August 13, 1955 — Voting Rights Activist Lamar Smith Murdered in Mississippi

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

On the morning of August 13, 1955, Lamar Smith, a 63-year-old African American farmer and veteran of World War I, was shot and killed in front of the Lincoln County Courthouse in Brookhaven, Mississippi, while encouraging African Americans to vote … Continue reading →

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On this day in American history, August 11, 2017 — White Nationalists Rally in Charlottesville, Virginia

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

On the evening of Friday, August 11, 2017, an assembly of more than 200 members of white supremacist, alt-right, neo-Nazi, and pro-Confederate groups from throughout the country converged on the University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia, for a torch-lit march … Continue reading →

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On this day in American history, August 9, 1961 — James B. Parsons Nominated First Black Federal Judge in Continental United States

Posted on August 9, 2018 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

On August 9, 1961, President John F. Kennedy nominated James Benton Parsons as United States District Court Judge for Northern Illinois. At the time, Judge Parsons, a native of Missouri and the great-grandson of enslaved people, was serving as a … Continue reading →

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On this day in American history, August 8, 2016 — Ahmed Mahmoud Sues After Arrest for Bringing Clock to School

Posted on August 8, 2018 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

On August 8, 2016, Ahmed Mahmoud and his family filed a lawsuit against the city of Irvin, Texas, and its school district for an ordeal that had begun nearly a year before. On September 14, 2015, 14-year-old Ahmed, a Sudanese-American … Continue reading →

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On this day in American history, August 7, 1930– Mob of 10,000 Lynches Two Black Men in Marion, Indiana

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

On August 7, 1930, a white mob lynched Thomas Shipp and Abram Smith in Marion, Indiana. The two young black men, 18 and 19 years old respectively, had been arrested that afternoon. They were accused of attacking a young white … Continue reading →

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On this day in Amrican history, August 5, 2014 — Black Workers Sue Memphis Cotton Gin for Racial Discrimination

Posted on August 5, 2018 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

In June 2014, after months of racial discrimination, harassment, and threats from a white supervisor, Untonio Harris and Marrio Mangrum, two African American workers at the Atkinson Cotton Warehouse, filed a federal complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) … Continue reading →

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On this day in American history, August 4, 1964 — Bodies of Murdered Civil Rights Workers Found in Mississippi

Posted on August 4, 2018 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

In 1964, Michael Schwerner, a white New Yorker working with the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), traveled to Mississippi to organize black citizens to vote. Schwerner worked extensively with James Chaney, a black CORE member from Meridian, Mississippi. The activist … Continue reading →

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On this day in American history, August 3, 1919 — Race Riots End in Chicago, Illinois, with 38 Dead

Posted on August 3, 2018 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

During the Great Migration, Chicago, Illinois, was a popular destination for many black migrants leaving the South in search of economic opportunity and escape from racial violence. The city’s black population swelled from 44,000 in 1910 to 109,000 in 1920, … Continue reading →

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