Throwback Thursday

 Throwback Thursday Abraham Lincoln Meme

There are too many examples of racial violence in American history to address in a single blog post so I’m going to focus specifically on racist actions against Black people since the Civil War.   

In 1870 the Ku Klux Klan in NC used murder and intimidation to prevent recently-freed slaves from voting in Alamance and Caswell Counties. NC Gov William Holden asked General George Kirk to lead a militia to restore order in those counties, which he did by arresting 100 men, including several prominent citizens. Enough whites were outraged by Gov Holden’s efforts to protect blacks, known as the Kirk-Holden War, that he was impeached and removed from office; the first governor to be removed from office in the US.

The South Carolina civil disturbances of 1876 were a series of riots instigated by democrats (former Civil War confederates) to take control of the state government through their paramilitary Red Shirts division. Part of their plan was to suppress black voting, particularly in counties where populations of blacks and whites were close to equal. 

The Jim Crow era is considered the nadir of racism because race relations were worse than any other time in American history. During this period African Americans lost many civil rights gained during Reconstruction while anti-black violence, lynching, segregation, legal racial discrimination, and expressions of white supremacy increased dramatically. Racial conflicts and riots were reported in multiple communities including Atlanta GA, Greenwood County SC, Omaha NE, Pittsburgh PA, Rock Springs WY, Seattle WA, Springfield IL, Tacoma WA, Thibodaux LA, and Wilmington NC. 

The sundown town phenomenon spread nationwide during this time; blacks were forced out via a combination of local laws, intimidation, and violence. Most confederate monuments and statues were erected in the late 19th and early 20th century, years after the Civil War ended. These symbols are rooted in white supremacy, reminders to African Americans that white people held power. 

"The bubonic plague was a major event in history but we don’t put up statues of rats."
– Trevor Noah, The Daily Show

The Tulsa race massacre took place May 31 - June 1, 1921 when mobs of white residents attacked black residents and businesses of the Greenwood District in Tulsa OK. It has been called "the single worst incident of racial violence in American history." Ground and air attacks destroyed more than 35 square blocks of the wealthiest black community in the US, known as "Black Wall Street".

In 1923 the entire town of Rosewood FL was destroyed in a racially motivated massacre of black people. The period from the beginning of WWI through the end of WWII saw racial unrest in Baltimore MD, Chicago IL, Detroit MI, Harlem NY, Houston TX, Los Angeles CA, Omaha NE, Watsonville CA, and Guam.  

Following WWII, GI bill benefits were awarded disproportionately to white veterans, widening economic gaps along racial lines. The civil rights movement slowly started to build momentum though racial tensions and violence continued.

The Montgomery AL bus boycott lasted 1 year and 16 days, from December 5, 1955 to December 20, 1956. That’s how long it took for the specific issue of public transit segregation to work its way through the court system from the day Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to surrender her seat to a white bus passenger.

The sit-in movement began February 1, 1960 in Greensboro NC when 4 black students from NC A&T University quietly and defiantly sat at a whites-only Woolworth lunch counter to protest segregation. The Greensboro sit-ins ended July 25, 1960 when the local Woolworth began serving black customers at the lunch counter, prompting other local segregated restaurants and retail shops to follow. Related sit-ins in several other cities were held through March 7, 1964.

A Birmingham AL riot was provoked by bombings that targeted black leaders in May 1963. A later bomb blast in September 1963 at the 16^th Street Baptist Church killed 4 young black girls. Multiple suspects were identified though local and federal law enforcement refused to prosecute. In 1977 the cold case was reopened. Robert Chambliss was arrested, found guilty, sentenced to life in prison and died at age 81. Gary Thomas Rowe was incriminated but cleared. Two additional suspects were indicted in 2000. Bobby Cherry was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison where he died in 2004. Thomas Blanton was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison though he is eligible for parole in 2021.

The landmark Civil Rights Act prohibiting racial discrimination and segregation was enacted July 2, 1964. Resistance to the bill continued for years and led to a long-term shift in political parties. Though President Johnson won the 1964 election by one of the biggest landslides in American history, southern states became a stronghold for republicans.   

It's a privilege to educate yourself about racism instead of experiencing it. 

The Watts riots of 1965 in Los Angeles CA were national news. Then came the Martin Luther King assassination riots and the 1968 Democratic National Convention. The protests of 1968 included worldwide rebellions against a variety of ills: the Vietnam War, authoritarianism, capitalism, imperialism, racism, revisionism and sexism.

Civil unrest and riots continued through the 1970s in Asbury Park NJ, Augusta GA, Camden NJ, Greensboro NC, Hartford CT, and Jackson MS. Bureaucrats, political leaders and military forces responded by escalating political repression with harsh law and order campaigns.

During the 1970s and continuing into the mid 1980s arsonist landlords in the Bronx NY burned dilapidated and neglected rental apartment buildings, displacing and endangering countless families. Further south Miami FL saw 2 race riots, one in 1980 and another in 1989.

Multiple race related civil disturbances have been reported in the US within the past 30 years:

• 1992 Los Angeles CA riots followed the acquittal of police officers on trial for assaulting Rodney King.
• 1996 St Petersburg FL riot occurred during protests against racial profiling and police brutality.
• 2001 Cincinnati OH riots began with a peaceful protest over the police shooting of unarmed 19-year-old Timothy Thomas. 
• 2009 Oakland CA riots followed the BART police shooting of Oscar Grant.
• 2014 Ferguson MO riots followed the shooting of Michael Brown.
• 2015 Baltimore MD riots followed the death of Freddie Gray.
• 2015 Ferguson MO unrest followed the anniversary of the shooting of Michael Brown.
• 2016 Milwaukee WI riots followed the fatal shooting of 23 year old Sylville Smith.
• 2016 Charlotte NC riot started in response to police shooting of Keith Lamont Scott.
• 2020 George Floyd protests began May 26, 2020 in Minneapolis MN and soon spread to all 50 US states and several countries around the world. People of many ages, ethnicities and nationalities continue to gather in support of black lives, and to condemn police brutality through civil disobedience.

George Floyd’s murder is the tip of the iceberg of a much larger problem.

In the spirit of sharing softer news and/or silly vibes:

Nobody thought the revolution would start in Minneapolis… except Prince.

Daily pandemic update:  

A report by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development said the pandemic has triggered the worst global recession in nearly a century even without a second wave of infections. The number of US cases surpassed 2 million while the death toll exceeded 110,000. Aljazeera.com timeline

11 June 2020	Cases		Deaths		Recovered
13:11 GMT*	Yesterday	Today	Yesterday	Today	Yesterday	Today
World	7.323,516	7,492,035	413,731	419,616	3,603,893	3,803,543
US	2,045,549	2,067,355	114,148	115,163	788,862	808,556
NY	400,660	401,333	30,603	30,680	84,982	85,192
CT	44,179	44,347	4,097	4,120	7,689	7,689
NC	37,226	38,496	1,068	1,092	23,653	23,653

A moment of silence for those we’ve lost to coronavirus, including the first 100 and the first 100,000 in the US.

As of today 12% of closed cases in the US resulted in death; 88% recovered.

Globally 10% of closed cases resulted in death worldwide; 90% recovered.

Currently 2% of all active cases are considered serious or critical.

*Documenting time of day because real time data updates continuously.
Tracking specific states:  NY is US epicenter. Son Reid lives in CT. I live in NC. 
Worldometers     Coronainusa     Starsexpress2020     https://ncov2019.live/

In the news: 

• Americans appear to be disregarding the pandemic though cases and hospitalizations continue to rise sharply in several states, including NC.
• Carolina Panthers announced statue of founder Jerry Richardson will be moved as a precaution in the interest of public safety. Richardson sold the team in 2018 amid allegations of racial and sexual misconduct.
• Christopher Columbus statue in Boston was beheaded.
• FBI Director Christopher Wray said in 2019 majority of domestic terrorism cases are motivated by white supremacist violence. Petition to make KKK illegal has more than 550,000 signatures so far; it was started by a teenager 1 week ago and is the largest petition to date on Change.org.
• Fired IG Steve Linick was reportedly probing State Dept withdrawal of award to Trump critic.
• Getting Back to Work is an economic recovery playbook for cities with specific, practical policy suggestions from the Better Cities Project.
• HBO Max announced Gone with the Wind classic film has been temporarily pulled from rotation; will return with historical context at some point in the future. Also, Looney Tunes cartoon reboot will ban firearms in keeping with more modern sensibilities; ACME TNT ok, not banned.
• NASCAR announced ban on confederate flags at all events and properties. Richard Petty Motorsports announced Bubba Wallace will drive a race car with Black Lives Matter paint scheme. NOTE: This strikes me as refreshingly progressive considering old timers Richard Petty and Richard Childress publicly criticized kneeling protestors a few years ago.
• NYPD officer Vincent D'Andraia was arrested after he was caught on camera forcefully shoving a woman to the pavement during anti-police brutality protest.
• Oprah Winfrey facilitated “Where Do We Go From Here?” conversation with Black activists and artists to discuss how America can funnel the energy and rage of recent protests into action to eradicate systemic inequality and racism. The special aired on multiple networks and is also available on YouTube.
• Senate Armed Services Committee voted to require Pentagon to rename military bases and other assets named after confederate generals. Trump preemptively threatened to veto any such bill.
• Trump is seen as a man of faith by 27% of registered voters. However, Pope Francis expressed strong support for protestors while signaling racial justice is an important voting issue. Catholic support of Trump is currently around 37%.  
• Trump’s Law & Order campaign is reminiscent of Nixon’s campaign playbook.
• Voting Rights Advancement Act was passed by US House in December 2019. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell refuses to consider bill in Senate despite public support to strengthen voting rights.

NC News

• 78% of hospital beds in NC are occupied though more than 2,000 ventilators remain available. Nearly 18,000 people were tested for the virus in NC between noon Tuesday and noon Wednesday.
• Forsyth County reported significant increase in COVID-19 recoveries and new cases.
• Greensboro demonstrators staged Mourning Drive to honor Black lives lost to police brutality.
• NC House Bill 594 lifts restrictions imposed on bars and gyms during pandemic. House voted 69-50 to approve. Senate voted 63-13. It now heads to Gov Cooper.
• NC House Bill 1169 Bipartisan Elections Act of 2020 would make mail in absentee voting easier. However, petition calls for removal of voter ID provisions.
• NC demanded Ace Speedway close after it repeatedly violated order against mass gatherings. Also, NC DHHS filed motion for temporary restraining order against the race track to enforce the closure. Hearing is scheduled Thursday morning.
• NC Second Chance Act passed house with unanimous vote, 119 to 0. Legislation will allow people with dismissed charges and old convictions to expunge their criminal records and begin the process of modernizing our court system by automating these expunctions. 
• NC State University Centennial Campus shooting: 1 person killed, suspect in custody.
• RNC voted to hold business portion of convention in Charlotte NC.
• Winston Salem NC police and mayor responded to public inquiries about protest that shut down I-40. Closure was managed by law enforcement and protestors complied with request to clear roadway within a reasonable amount of time so no arrests were made. The closure was disruptive, prompting complaints citing NC statute. However, blocking roadways is a legally protected form of protest.   

US District Court Judge Frank Johnson ruled that protestors may march along public highways.

Protestors block traffic to demonstrate what it feels like to be in a powerless situation. The sooner we learn perspective, the sooner we won’t be stuck in traffic.

   

Following Kenny Beck’s lead to share a few signs of hope:

• Drone footage captured thousands of sea turtles nesting near Australia's Great Barrier Reef. 
• Louisville KY artist painted portrait and mural in honor of Breonna Taylor.

In my personal life…

Wednesday morning Greg made Scotch eggs for me and I reciprocated by making deviled eggs for him. 

I started the day by working in the garden. After brunch I returned outdoors to top dress a few plants with fresh compost. I wanted to do more but it was too hot by 11am for me to continue. It rained periodically throughout the day and night. This morning the plants looked healthy and happy compared to yesterday.

Greg had ordered Charmin Strong toilet paper online and it arrived via FedEx yesterday afternoon. Luckily we received the delivery between rain showers so the cardboard box didn't get wet. I never imagined I would be excited to open a package of bathroom tissue but the pandemic has provided quite a few surprises like that.

After eating Scotch eggs for brunch, Greg prepared shrimp cocktail for linner. He also sautéed a few scallops for himself which left the house smelling like a seafood shack. I don’t like scallops but didn’t mind the temporary odor too much because it reminded me of beach trips. Also, it was nice to see Greg enjoy one of his favorite meals. Later we enjoyed warm cherry cobbler with a bit of vanilla ice cream on top for dessert.  

My daily action for racial justice Thursday is to read positive stories by and about people of color, historical figures as well as modern heroes and sheroes. After reading and writing about African American hardships I'm feeling the need to counter balance the negative with inspirational and uplifting stories and signs of progress made since recent protests began.