Just A Few

The SEVEN
by Mack Williams
26 September 2016

Just to be clear, I am not on Donald Trump’s prep team for tonight’s highly anticipated debate, nor do I want to be a help to his efforts. However, after reading his comments about how African-Americans have never had it worse, I thought I might share a few instances where things might arguably have been a little worse, so that the next time this comes up, he can be better prepared to respond.

I. 1787

According to our new nation’s Constitution, Black people are to count as three fifths of a person.

II. 1865

On January 1st, 1865 the Emancipation Proclamation ended slavery (after 246 years), but many Blacks were not immediately told, some not receiving word until as late as June 19th…which led to the celebration, initially popularized in Texas and other southern states, of “Juneteenth.”

III. 1892

There were 161 reported lynchings of Blacks in this year.

IV. 1921

Envious of the tremendous across the board success and economic self-sufficiency of the neighborhood dubbed “Black Wall Street,” the Klan and other racists killed many people and violently destroyed this thriving Tulsa community.

V. 1945

Although Black soldiers fought and died across the globe for freedom, Blacks were unable to pursue a career in Major League Baseball. It would be two years before Jackie Robinson joined the Brooklyn Dodgers.

VI. 1955-1956

After the arrest of Rosa Parks, Blacks are forced to boycott Montgomery, AL buses for nearly thirteen months in protest of the segregated seating policies and horrific treatment.

VII. 1963-1968

Medgar Evers, Addie Mae Collins, Carol Denise McNair, Carole Robertson, and Cynthia Wesley (the four young ladies at Sunday School in Birmingham), Viola Luozzo, Jimmie Lee Jackson, Rev. Jim Reeb, and Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. among others were killed by people attempting to thwart the pursuit of justice for all.

Hope these help…and if you need some more, let me know.