On Sept. 30, 1919, African American farmers, mostly sharecroppers, - TopicsExpress



          

On Sept. 30, 1919, African American farmers, mostly sharecroppers, met in Elaine, Ark. to consider establishing a chapter of the Progressive Farmers and Household Union of America to fight for fair pay for their cotton. As the essay in the Encyclopedia of Ark. notes, "Unions such as the Progressive Farmers represented a threat not only to the tenet of white supremacy but also to the basic concepts of capitalism." Their meeting was attacked and a white man was killed. The next day, white vigilantes and troops arrived, killing at least 100 African Americans. Then hundreds of African Americans were arrested for inciting a riot, 12 were sentenced to death. (Image is of the Elaine 12) The NAACP under the leadership of Walter Francis White investigated the case and defended the Elaine 12. Read more about the Elaine Race Riots during Red Summer: The Summer of 1919 and the Awakening of Black America in the Encyclopedia of Arkansas: bit.ly/SWyIn7 — with Rose Cannon. Thanks to Zinn Education Project for this.
Posted on: Mon, 30 Sep 2013 17:50:06 +0000

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