Tag Archives: Slavery

This day in history — April 5, 1921– Georgia: White Landowner Faces Trial in Murder of Eleven Black Sharecroppers

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

Although slavery was officially abolished in 1865, African Americans continued to be held as de facto slaves in systems of peonage, a form of debt bondage. “Peons” or indentured servants owed money to their “masters” and were forced to work … Continue reading →

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This day in history — March 30, 2018 — No Bloody Friday!

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

On this day in history, the Equal Racial Justice Initiative’s A History of Racial Injustice – 2018 Calendar, does not report an incident….  I wonder if racist whites ceased their Reign of Terror against Black people because it was Good Friday?  … Continue reading →

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Willie Lynch, On Language

Posted on December 28, 2017 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

I am a self-styled language cop, especially as it relates to criminal justice language, how it has been used not only to dehumanize and stigmatize people with criminal justice involvement, but also to control the narrative, how such people with … Continue reading →

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“Timeless”

Posted on May 26, 2017 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

The idea of time travel has fascinated people for quite some time.  In 1895, H.G. Wells published the science fiction novel, “The Time Machine.”  Wells is credited with popularizing the concept of time travel.  The novel itself has been adapted … Continue reading →

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VERY STRANGE FRUIT

Posted on December 16, 2014 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

Have you ever really listened to the haunting lyrics of “Strange Fruit,” sung by Billie Holliday, who “had the kind of voice you never forget,” as Bret Primack wrote in Jazz Times?: Southern trees bear strange fruit, Blood on the … Continue reading →

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THE NEW SLAVE MASTERS…AT SONY

Posted on December 15, 2014 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

Sony President Amy Pascal and producer Scott Rudin think that slavery was funny. Have they watched such movies as “Django Unchained” and “12 Years A Slave?” I haven’t watched them – I hate slave movies! – but I would bet … Continue reading →

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PROSECUTORS, POLICE-INVOLVED SHOOTINGS, THE CONSTITUTION, THE KKK, POSSES, AND THE RULE OF LAW

Posted on December 11, 2014 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

I’ve been thinking about when state prosecutors fail to do their jobs in police-involved killings of unarmed individuals, that is, fail to get indictments – though we all know, those of us who have studied the criminal criminal justice system, … Continue reading →

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Excerpt from my book, “Black Shadows and Through the White Looking Glass: Remembering Things Past and Present”

Posted on November 4, 2014 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

From George Washington to George Bush. From the birth of a nation to a kinder, gentler nation. From Thomas Jefferson to William Jefferson Clinton. From Democratic Republicanism to the New Democrats. From honest Abe to tricky Dick to Slick Willie. … Continue reading →

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Frederick Douglass’ “The Meaning of July Fourth for the Negro” (July 5, 1852)

Posted on October 31, 2014 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

Mr. President, Friends and Fellow Citizens: He who could address this audience without a quailing sensation, has stronger nerves than I have. I do not remember ever to have appeared as a speaker before any assembly more shrinkingly, nor with … Continue reading →

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A Comparison of New York State Laws and Regulations and Slave Codes

Posted on February 21, 2014 by William Eric Waters, aka Easy Waters

A number of years ago, long before Michelle Alexander’s “The New Jim Crow,” while doing research for an essay entitled “From the Plantation to the Penitentiary,” I came across some striking similarities between New York Laws and Slave Codes. From … Continue reading →

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