This Was The Most Deadly July Fourth In History

The Jim Crow South was a dangerous place for our people, full of laws and customs to keep us from living in the country we built. But this food restriction was the most bizarre.

Jack Johnson, a Black boxer, defeated the “great white hope” Jim Jeffries. Whites were sure Jeffries could beat Johnson and prove white superiority. But Johnson’s win led to multiple race riots across the nation.

But Johnson wasn’t a humble winner. He openly flaunted his wealth and his love of white women, and that was a direct attack on the illusion of white supremacy. Whites took his win personally and took out their anger on any Black person they saw.

From Houston to New York, white terrorists attacked us. We were beaten in the streets, suffocated in barbershops, burned in our own homes, and had our throats slit in broad daylight.

Johnson’s Blackness sent white folks into a rage. Today, we see anger and fear erupting even when we’re minding our own business. But never we can never allow their hate dim our light or stop our fight for the right to exist.