RED SUMMER: The summer of 1919 and the awakening of Black America – Cameron McWhirter

Lynching – it’s amazing to me to think that at one point in our nation’s history a mob of men could overpower a jail with little effort, drag off its imprisoned, mutilate, then kill them. All with no recourse. Amazing.

The summer of 1919 saw the worst of this with widespread riots in the south and the north and even in DC. But something unprecedented happened. Blacks began fighting back. Intensely. Jim Crow was still highly in effect but, with many Black soldiers returning from WWI, the idea of fighting for a country that extinguished your rights began permeating the Black community. A quest for equal citizenship began, uprooting the NAACP and Marcus Garvey to help change the mindset of many Blacks eager for change. This strive for equality definitely increased the terror and mob mentality of those intent on maintaining the status quo but I’m thankful that it didn’t deter our forefather’s resolve.

I found this read compelling for its ability to take you back in time and feel the pressures mounting. You can sense the tension and racism that was throughout. But more importantly, it’s the pride you experience knowing how the movement began and ends. In each riot and lynching, Blacks ultimately lost. Riots produced hundreds of dead with vast amounts of property damage leaving many displaced and homeless in addition to afraid for their lives. With no government intervention, the soul of America deemed Blacks second class citizens but throughout, Blacks didn’t give up. They stood their ground, fought, died, persevered, migrated and ultimately prevailed.

A highly recommended read emphasizing ‘yes’, we still have a ways to go but ‘yes,’ we have come a long way.

Red Summer: The Summer of 1919 and the Awakening of Black America
Cameron McWhirter