In 1919, several interrelated factors intensified racial tensions in the United States. During Reconstruction, African Americans gained significant political and legal rights, such as voting and holding public office. However,…
Category: Local History
The race riots of East St. Louis and Springfield. A stark reminder of the violence and racial division that persisted then and now in America.
The East St. Louis race riot of 1917 stands as one of the darkest moments of racial violence in American history. What began as economic and racial tension soon spiraled…
Home Ownership, The American Dream – A Racial Nightmare
Levittown, one of post-World War II America’s most iconic suburban developments, symbolizes opportunity and exclusion. Created by William Levitt and his company, Levitt & Sons, Levittown represented the promise of…
Booker T. Spicely, A Victim of Jim Crow Violence
In 1944, Booker T. Spicely, a Black Army private stationed at Camp Butner, clashed with a white bus driver, Herman Council, over seating segregation. The confrontation ended when Council shot…
JB Stradford: The Black Hotel Owner Deemed The Bezos Of Black Wall Street
DeAnna Taylor • Jun 1, 2021 May 31, 2021, officially marked 100 years since the massacre that took place in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Thousands of Black men, women, children, and esteemed business owners were…
Here’s What Happened the Night Mulugeta Seraw Was Murdered—and Afterward
In the wee hours of a Sunday morning in November 1988, the city’s self-image as a tolerant place was shattered. By Elise Herron October 31, 2018 at 8:08 am PDT Many…
The rise of reactionaries in the wake of the 1918 flu pandemic in Washington
Emergent movements, including a resurgence of the KKK, led to more anti-immigration policy, eugenics laws, religious fundamentalism and conservative leadership. By Knute Berger, Crosscut Published: July 10, 2022, The end…
Louis Southworth, slave who bought his freedom and homesteaded near Oregon coast, chosen as namesake of new park
Updated: Sep. 07, 2021, 9:32 a.m. | Published: Aug. 29, 2021, 7:47 a.m. By Cheri Brubaker | Yachats News Louis Southworth, who traveled the Oregon Trail to Oregon in the…
Oregon’s Klan in the 1920’s: The rise of hate
What took place a century ago in the state of Oregon draws a direct parallel to what is taking place today.