5 Examples of Black People Rising up Against Oppression in the US

Newark Riots Black citizens of Newark rioted for six days in July 1967 in response to systematic police racism and violence that largely targeted young men in the community. One example of this, which sparked the uprising, was the arrest of John Weerd Smith during a routine traffic stop, which somehow ended with him in hospital. Outraged citizens confronted and in some cases attacked the police, who in turn called in the National Guard to quell the rioters. The violence lasted for six days, left 26 people dead, and over 700 injured. The Holy Week Uprising ( MLK Jr. Assassination Riots) Over 100 American cities saw unrest after the death of civil rights leader Martin Luther King, Jr. on April 4, 1968, including Chicago, Louisville, Ky., Kansas City, Mo. and Baltimore. However, it was the riot that took place in the nation's capital that was perhaps the most dramatic, with crowds of up to 20,000 taking to the streets. The riots came within two blocks of the White House, where then-President Lyndon Johnson had called in Army troops to stand guard. Rodney King Riots It was not the video of the senseless beating of Rodney King by four white Los Angeles police officers in 1992 that caused the riots, but the injustice of the final verdict that let all of the officers walk free. There was also a general sense of unrest in the South Central area at the time, as residents coped with gang violence, a drug epidemic, and the general sense that police were more likely to harm everyday Black citizens, than to keep them safe. Most targets of the riots were white people, including trucker Reginald Denny, whose attack at the hands of rioters was also videotaped. Another incident of racial violence, the shooting death of 15-year old Latasha Harlins by a Korean store owner, Soon Ja Du, sparked more outrage, and caused the Korean community to become targets of the agitated protesters as well. Nat Turner Uprising In 1831, acting on what he believed were orders from God, enslaved Baptist preacher Nat Turner led a rebellion of approximately 70 slaves to attack slaveholders in the city Southampton County, Va. Though the rebellion could not withstand the town militia after it was called into action, Turner known as "The Prophet" in his community, and several of his compatriots managed to hide for close to two months before they were captured and executed. In the wake of Turner's rebellion, thousands of Backs were murdered for fear the insurrection would spread throughout the South. It is believed that the total death toll for African-Americans was approximately 2,000 - far greater than the death toll of the original revolt, which is estimated to be around 57. Civil Rights Movement Not all uprisings in the African-American community have been violent. During the Civil Rights Movement, which took place roughly between 1954 and 1968, Blacks from all across the nation stood up for their rights in a series of nonviolent actions. Some of the best known are the Montgomery Bus Boycott, the Greensboro sit-in, and the March on Washington. Protesters largely remained peaceful, even in the face of violence and overall deplorable treatment by onlookers and authorities alike. Source: http://www.67riots.rutgers.edu http://www.thirteen.org http://www.chicagotribune.com http://www.washingtoncitypaper.com http://www.southcentralhistory.com http://www.history.com http://newsone.com http://www.pbs.org http://www.pbs.org http://www.history.com http://www.csmonitor.com

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