Buffalo Soldiers represent the triumph of Black soldiers in the face of adversity. Their contributions spanned military achievements, nation-building, & the advancement of civil rights. Whereas, exact origins of the term, “buffalo soldier” is debatable, by the 20th century, through both world wars, “Buffalo soldier “ was a term of honor used to describe all Black Americans enlisted in the military.
The exact source of the term “buffalo soldier” in not known. According to some sources, the first published reference was in the October 1873 edition of The Nation. The author suggested that the Comanche gave Black soldiers that name after noticing the the soldiers’ hair was “wooly” and resembled buffaloes.
Exactly 60 yrs ago, on June 12, 1963, NAACP Mississippi field secretary, Medgar Evers, returned home. Carrying "Jim Crow Must Go" t-shirts, he was shot in the back. His wife found him bleeding at the door. He died later. At his funeral, brutal police tactics failed to suppress anger among 1000s of mourners. Later, Medgar received the 1963 Spingarn medal for his contributions and sacrifice.
After an investigation, Byron De La Beckwith emerged as the prime suspect in Medgar’s murder. Despite incriminating evidence & eyewitness testimony, Beckwith denied shooting Medgar, claiming his gun was stolen. The trials were heated battles amid segregation tensions. Influential figures, like Mississippi Governor Ross Barnett, supported Beckwith, even shaking his hand in front of the jury.
Beckwith was arrogantly confident throughout the trial—-making no effort to conceal his disdain for Black people. In 1964, he was released when two all-white juries couldn't reach a verdict.
In 1989, the question of Beckwith's guilt resurfaced with the revelation of files from the disbanded Mississippi Sovereignty Commission. This organization operated in the 1950s to bolster support for segregation and white supremacy.
The published accounts indicated that the Mississippi Sovereignty Commission had aided Beckwith's defense team in vetting potential jurors during the initial trials. While the Hinds County Mississippi District Attorney's office found no evidence of jury tampering, it did uncover additional witnesses. Some of these individuals eventually testified that Beckwith had boasted about the murder to them.
Beckwith later served a lengthy prison sentence in Louisiana for trying to kill
A.I. Botnick, director of the New Orleans-based B'nai B'rith Anti-Defamation League. In 1979, while in the prison infirmary, he refused treatment from a Black nurse's aide. Overheard by a guard, Beckwith stated that if he could eliminate an "uppity" Evers, dealing with the "no-account" aide would be no trouble. The guard's testimony in Beckwith's 3rd trial in 1994 was crucial.
The trial was triggered, in part, by The Clarion-Ledger of Jackson Mississippi publishing accounts of the Mississippi Sovereignty Commission's assistance in Beckwith's earlier trials, revealing their role in jury selection. During the 1990s, a fresh wave of investigators and prosecutors meticulously reexamined existing evidence and unearthed new information.
Consequently, Beckwith faced a 2nd indictment for the murder of Medgar Evers in December 1990. Despite several appeals, the Mississippi Supreme Court ruled in April 1993 in favor of a 3rd trial.
Beckwith, now older & only slightly less arrogant, defiantly displayed a Confederate flag on his lapel throughout the trial. Testimony began 10 months later with a racially diverse jury consisting of 8 Black & 4 white individuals.
#OnThisDay, 14 Jun 1939, Ethel Waters stars in The Ethel Waters Show on NBC, becoming the first black person to have their own show on US TV. The one-hour variety show was a test of the tech.
[photo is from her radio show around the same time]
The First Self-Proclaimed Drag Queen Was a Formerly Enslaved Man
In the late 19th century, William Dorsey Swann’s private balls attracted unwelcome attention from authorities and the press
by Cari Shane, June 9, 2023
"In the late 1880s, a formerly enslaved man named William Dorsey Swann started hosting private balls known as #drags, a name possibly derived from 'grand rag,' an antiquated term for masquerade balls. Held in secret in Washington, D.C., these parties soon caught authorities’ attention.
"As the Washington Critic reported in January 1887, police officers who raided one such gathering were surprised to encounter six Black men 'dressed in elegant female attire,' including 'corsets, bustles, long hose and slippers.' The following April, the Evening Star reported on a raid that targeted men in 'female attire of many colors,' as well as 'gaudy costumes of silk and satin.' On both occasions, authorities arrested the party guests and charged them with 'being suspicious characters.'
"Journalist and historian Channing Gerard Joseph first learned about Swann’s parties in 2005, when he was a graduate student browsing an online newspaper database. The article he came across, a Washington Post story from April 1888, spotlighted Swann, 'who was arrayed in a gorgeous dress of cream-colored satin.' He 'rushed toward the officers and tried to prevent their entering.'"
#OnThisDay, 8 Jun 1953, Mary Terrell wins her Supreme Court case and desegregates Washington DC's restaurants. She's 93, and celebrates with lunch in the restaurant that she'd taken to court.
A story about video game cartridges, yes, but really it's a story of #blackHistory and the utterly brilliant Gerry Lawson. It's hard to argue anyone is more singularly important to #gaming hardware.
Two Southerners serving in the U.S. Army in 1861 made different choices when the Civil War began.
Robert E. Lee has been looked on as a source of pride by White Southerners.
But perhaps, according to historian Christopher Einolf, a better source of pride today would be Maj. Gen. George H. Thomas – another Virginian, who honored his oath to defend the Constitution.
On June 2, 1863, 160 years ago today, Harriet Tubman commanded 300 Black soldiers in the audacious Raid on Combahee Ferry. With the Union Army backing , The General, as she was called, liberated 800 people, destroyed supplies, and struck a blow against the Confederacy. She became the FIRST woman in U.S. history to plan and execute an armed expedition, inspiring joy and freedom among over 800 enslaved people.
In 1908, Marie C. Bolden made national headlines when she spelled 500 words perfectly in the first national spelling bee. One of the words she was asked to spell was "prejudice" — apt, since as a Black student, she faced a lot of it through the tournament and afterwards. Here's her story, which drew renewed attention in 2021 when Zaila Avant-garde became the first African American to win the Scripps National Spelling Bee.
West Eugene park will honor Black leader whose family was displaced (www.klcc.org)
The City of Eugene is developing a new park in southwest Eugene. It’s named for the late Mattie Reynolds, who was a leader in the Black community.