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Today we remember the horrific Elaine Massacre of 1919, where over 200 Black lives were brutally taken. As we celebrate #Juneteenth, let us not forget the systemic oppression that still exists in Arkansas and the parallels to our current political landscape. #ElaineMassacre
The Elaine Massacre is a tragic event in American history, where African American sharecroppers in Phillips County formed a union to fight for better working conditions and fair wages, which led to a violent backlash from white authorities.
This event further highlights the systemic oppression that existed against Black communities in the past and how that oppression has evolved over time.
#tdih 1919 #RedSummer Black sharecroppers met in Elaine, Arkansas to organize for fair pay for cotton. More than 100 of them were massacred by white supremacists. 12 Black men were sentenced to death for the "riots." #terrorism #teachoutsidetextbook zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/elai…
Elaine Massacre 1919. Textbooks barely mention Red Summer, and when they do, they "downplay both racism and Black resistance, while distorting facts in a dangerous 'both sides' framing." Read "If We Knew Our History" essay below by @LadyOfSardines
zinnedproject.org/if-we-knew-our…
zinnedproject.org/if-we-knew-our…
"The terrible 'crime' these men had committed was to organize their members into a union for the purpose of getting the market price for their cotton." -- Ida B. Wells in a booklet she wrote called "The Elaine Riot." Read primary doc in full online here: archive.org/details/TheArk… 
1/ A conservative friend of mine argued at various times and in different contexts (including racial preferences or affirmative action), that slavery ended in 1865, he had nothing to do with it, so why don't African-Americans "just get over it." #RaceMatters
2/ Yes, slavery ended in 1865 and while it contributed greatly to the wealth of white America, African-Americans were given nothing in return as the government reneged on its promise of 40 acres and a mule after the end of the Civil War. #RaceMatters pbs.org/wnet/african-a…
3/ Compare this to the Homestead Act of 1866 which transferred an area of land in the west the size of CA and TX (10% of all US land) to whites who need only improve it for 5 years and file a deed. aeon.co/ideas/land-and… #RaceMatters
Today marks the 100 year anniversary of one of the deadliest anti-black race riots in U.S. history. On September 30, 1919 mobs of white men began murdering more than 200 black sharecroppers in Elaine, Arkansas. A century later a memorial has finally been built.
#ElaineMassacre
#ElaineMassacre
Afterward the massacre hundreds of black people were corralled into stockades. In a fraud of a trial, twelve men were charged with murder. They eventually avoided execution, but they became known as the Elaine 12. #IdaBWells helped publicize their case.
#ElaineMassacre
#ElaineMassacre
Elaine, AR is in Phillips County & the memorial was built in the county seat of Helena. While some controversy remains concerning the memorial's placement, Brian Miller, a federal judge whose 4 great uncles were killed in the massacre, explained its significance.
#ElaineMassacre
#ElaineMassacre
