Tag Archives: Equal Justice Initiative

On this day in history, May 14, 1961 –Freedom Riders Attacked in Anniston, Alabama

Posted on May 14, 2018 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

The Freedom Riders, an interracial group of civil rights activists, began riding interstate buses in 1961 to test Supreme Court decisions that prohibited discrimination in interstate passenger travel. Their efforts were unpopular with whites who supported segregation. On Mother’s Day, … Continue reading →

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On this day in history, May 13, 1956 — Four White Men Kidnap and Rape Black Girl in Tylertown, Mississippi

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

On May 13, 1956, sixteen-year-old Annette Butler of Tylertown, Mississippi, was kidnapped and gang raped by four white men. Ms. Butler and her family reported the assault and the men were arrested, jailed, and tried for the crime – a … Continue reading →

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May 10, 1740 — South Carolina Passes Negro Act of 1740

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

On May 10, 1740, the South Carolina Assembly enacted the “Bill for the better ordering and governing of Negroes and other slaves in this province,” also known as the Negro Act of 1740. The law prohibited slaves from growing their … 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 11, 1868 –Convict Leasing Begins in Georgia

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

After the Civil War, Georgia and other Southern states faced economic uncertainty. Dependent on enslaved black labor that was no longer available after emancipation and ratification of the Thirteenth Amendment, Southern economies struggled to find a new solution. For many, … 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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On this day in history — May 1, 1863 — Confederate Congress Authorizes Enslavement or Execution of Black Troops

Posted on May 1, 2018 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

On December 24, 1862, Confederate President Jefferson Davis issued orders to the Confederate Army “that all negro slaves captured in arms be at once delivered over to the executive authorities of the respective States to which they belong, to be … 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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