Emmet Till is just one of thousands of tragedies
Make no mistake about it. The 1954 murder of Emmet Till was a horrific tragedy. His death has become an iconic event of American racism – and a horrific tragedy for a mother, family, and friends who loved him. Till’s death has recently been memorialized in a movie – which is getting a lot of attention in the national media.
However, there is a much larger historic story to be told as part of our education on the history of racism in America. What has been missing is the “who” was responsible for Till’s death. I do not mean just the people who committed the brutal murder.
Till was killed by more than a few men. He was killed by a political and social culture that brutally oppressed black Americans. And that political and social culture has a name — and it is the Democratic Party. Such injustices can only take place when there is one authoritarian ruling class.
Furthermore, Till’s murder was only one event out of thousands upon thousands of equally heinous murders of innocent black men, women, and children – all committed by or under the sponsorship of … the Democratic Party
In focusing only on the Till murder, we tend to disregard the depths of depravity of the racist Democratic Party that exclusively ruled over the former southern Confederate States for more than 100 years AFTER the Civil War … AFTER the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments … AFTER civil rights legislation …. AFTER court decisions. Democrat institutional racism is not ancient history.
Allow me to share a couple of stories from my upcoming book on race in America. These are only two of the hundreds of thousands – perhaps even millions – of black citizens who suffered brutalities and death at the hands of Democrat regimes in southern states. – and who are the forgotten stories in black history. From 1812 to 1968 there were more than 4,000 lynchings in Democrat-controlled Dixie – and is believed to be only a fraction of the real number. Here are a couple of others.
Thomas Moss
Southern justice struck close to home when Tom Moss, a prominent black businessman as well as a postman and friend of Wells’ husband, was lynched in Memphis, Tennessee along with two friends for fighting back against a group of whites who came to vandalize his store.
On March 9th, a white mob dragged Moss and his two friends from the Shelby County jail and brought them to the Chesapeake & Ohio railroad yard. There is an incredibly detailed description of the lynching because the leaders of the white mob had invited the press to cover the event as a means of intimidating others.
Moss’s struggled to get away. In retaliation, members of the mob shot off his fingers and hand “inch by inch.” They shot him in the face so that “the ball (of his eye) hung over his cheek in shreds.” They blew off his jaw and where his right eye had once existed, his brains flowed out. The Appeal-Avalanche, covering the event reported that his injuries were deserved in view of his “vicious and unyielding nature.”
In addition to being lynched, Moss was also shot. The newspaper reported his dying words as “Tell my people to go west, there is no justice for them here.”
Claude Neal
From a research publication
“Local newspapers and a radio station, announcing that a ‘Negro’ would be ‘mutilated and set afire,’ provided details concerning the place and time of the anticipated event. That afternoon, quite unexpectedly, news of the scheduled lynching was picked up and distributed nationally by the Associated Press. The response of the NAACP and many other concerned people to this news moved Florida governor David Sholtz to offer the Jackson County sheriff the assistance of the state’s national guard. The offer was refused. The mob forced Neal to eat his penis, stabbed him with a knife repeatedly in his sides and stomach, and cut off several of his fingers and toes. After suffering such torture for almost two hours, Neal died before the hundreds of people who had gathered in a carnival-like atmosphere could see him lynched. Disappointed and enraged, the crowd—including many families—resumed the mutilation of the body before burning and hanging it from a nearby tree.”
It is no coincidence that the hideous tradition of lynching ebbed and virtually disappeared as the American southland transitioned to more bipartisan governance. It is no small irony that Democrats supported recent anti-lynching federal legislation a half-century after lynching was no longer a reality – and 85 years after President Roosevelt and Democrats successfully opposed repeated attempts by congressional Republicans to pass anti-lynching legislation at a time lynchings were at their peak.
We hear a lot today about suppressing black history – and there is some justification for that concern. However, as our schools and society look more appropriately into that history, there is still a peculiar censorship. We learn more about the atrocities, but without naming the institution that was exclusively responsible … the Democratic Party.
A couple of years ago, my family and I saw “Selma” – the movie about Martin Luther King’s march across the Edmund Pettus Bridge. It was an excellent movie. It included names like George Wallace and Sheriff “Bull” Connor – and spoke of evil “white people” — but never mentioned their base of power … the institution that drove their murderous culture … the Democratic Party.
I get a lot of blowback from left-wingers who think it is not very nice to call out the Democratic Party for their past. On the other hand, it is okay to cancel the Founders for their ownership of slaves. The only difference I see is that the Founders did incredibly noble work in creating the world’s best democratic Republic despite the existence of slavery – something worth remembering and celebrating There was no other side of the story about southern Democrats and their reign of terror over millions of black Americans in the land of Dixie. They were purely evil.
The point of this commentary is to understand that as terrible as the killing of Emmet Till, it is important to remember the horrendous BIG PICTURE of those times – and who was responsible on the grand scale. And perhaps more importantly how those events of history play out in today’s major cities.
So, there ‘tis.
A terrible reminder of bad times in America
Larry, I am not disputing the thrust and info in your blog. I am curious, how does one identify the perpetrators and then verify the political affiliation of the perpetrators of these heinous crimes? Voter registration records? I was very disappointed when I read recently that “The latest came this summer as relatives of Emmett and researchers looking into his murder unearthed an arrest warrant for Ms. Donham — issued by the Leflore County sheriff and dated Aug. 29, 1955 — that had never been served. It accused her of kidnapping and led to the grand jury examination.” Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/09/us/emmett-till-murder-grand-jury.html
Tom … Good question. A deep dive into the records indicate that virtually every member of the KKK — and the other terrorist organizations — were associated with the Democratic Party,. Some activists. Others registered Democrats. You have to remember that virtually 100 percent of the political power was in the hands of Democrats. The terror against blacks was organized, promoted and carried-out by individuals associated with the Party. Democrat sheriffs often turned blacks over to the vigilantes, You could not get on a jury if you were not a Democrat. You also have to remember that Republicans were also the targets of the KKK, etc. Most researchers do not investigate the party affiliation of the southern terrorists. We know the political structure was all Democrat, but when you look at the perpetrator’s of violence, there were either members or associated with the Democrat power structure, The reign of terror on blacks was the work of the Democratic Party — and it was not limited to the south.
“The reign of terror on blacks was the work of the Democratic Party — and it was not limited to the south.” Now there’s an aside with a massive implication.
Can you show us the Northern Democratic reign of terror, their “Kristallnacht,” perpetrated on Blacks?
Larry, As has been pointed out before, your understanding of the history of politics is flawed. You continue to lack understanding that these acts were committed by people, not a party. At the time of its formation, the Republican Party was the liberal party in the country, and Abraham Lincoln (who you say is the greatest president of all time) is also, arguably the most liberal president we have ever had. Things started to change in the 1920’s and FDR really flipped the Democrats with his liberal policies. Yes, the south continued to vote for Democrats until the 1960’s, but then the Republican Party made an extensive outreach to those people, and started tacitly messaging approval for racist thoughts, while the democrats became the party of civil rights. In short, your ideas are total BS. To place blame on a party (particularly when it is the party that has advocated for civil rights strongly in recent history) just shows that you don’t really understand history and politics.
Mike F … You knowledge of history is very flawed. FDR was a white supremacist and the New Deal was crafted to take the jobs away from blacks and give them to whites. It was crafted by southern racists — including KKK member Hugo Black. FDR liberalism was purely economic and big government … not social or cultural. Lincoln had very conservative values — mostly devotion to the Declaration of Independence and the Constitutions. The mainstays of conservatives doctrine. I am not sure where you got your information about Lincoln, but I know you have not done a lot of reading. Republicans did not take over the south until after the Nixon administration … and remember it was Nixon who created affirmative action … and minority entrepreneurship. He and Martin Luther King were very close friends and MLK voted Republican except for Goldwater. And which party passed the civil rights legislation? The first since the Civil War was introduced by Eisenhower in 1956. Both Kennedy and Johnson voted against it. It was watered down by Democrats. That necessitated the 1964 Civil Right Act. Check out the vote and you will see it was the Republicans who passed it over the opposition of Democrats. They even filibustered the bill. The 1965 Voting Rights Bill was drafted and introduced by Republicans Senator Everett Dirksen — and again it was passed only because of overwhelming support from Republicans. You can go fact-check all that. I fear you are a victim of political propaganda.
Larry, I fear that you are a victim of close mindedness. You consistently fail to look at the current situation, and instead rely on how things were in your youth. Yes, the Democrats were the party of the old south, and the Republicans were the party of Progressive Rights for Blacks after the Civil War. That was changing during the era of FDR, and continued under the Truman Administration, at which point both parties were advocating for more rights for Blacks (yes, I know that there were advances for Civil Rights during the Eisenhower Administration). However, today’s Republican Party is much different than it was during the era of Eisenhower. Things were changing in the 60’s for Republicans when a fellow named Goldwater was nominated, and really changed under Nixon, when there was significant outreach to the former Dixiecrats. Today’s parties are nothing like they were in the past, though you repeatedly try to paint today’s Democrat’s with the same brush that was used when they were the racist party, and only tout the advances that were made under Republicans in a different era. While I doubt that you will read the following, an excellent description of exactly what happened to Republicans and Democrats over the years appeared on October 29th, and was written by an actual historian who bases her writings on the historical facts of the time, as well as a good understanding of the way things currently are….
https://open.substack.com/pub/heathercoxrichardson/p/october-29-2022?r=5obfb&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
Mike F … Because I know my history does not mean I live in it. Where we differ is that we both live in the present, but you do not know your history and its impact on the present. The present is never the same as the past, but as is inscribed on the National Archives Building in Washington, “What is past, is prologue.” What you proffer is a pop culture view of history — and it is very inaccurate. It should be clear to anyone that the RESIDUAL if Democratic Party racism is found in the Democrat-controlled SEGREGATED cities where millions of black citizens are maintained in an INSTITUTONAL inferior impoverished … under educated … poorly housed … dependent status – denied access to social and upward mobility and subjected to personal harm and violent death. That is happening today. I also suspect that you have spent very little time in the inner cities. On the other hand, I have spent a lot of time working among those who suffer from the political machines abuses. If – as an insult – you want to play the age card to suggest I am out of touch, I will trump you (no pun intended) with the age card that suggests greater experience and wisdom … lol. You need to get past the headlines of the day and do more objective research.
The example you provide is mostly a poppycock repetition of the pop version of history. I would love to have that author on a debate stage. Just as an example,,, FDR was a white supremacist and he New Deal was a huge disaster for blacks. It was crafted by southern segregationists. The author does not know her FACTS.
You are right that the people doing those evil things were people; Duh! Those evil people also identified as democrats! Democrats are still sick, evil, lying. cheating, racist communist today, and there are other negative attributes I could add. Racism would have been over long ago, but the democrats wont let it die. They need racism because all of their ideas suck and are anti-American and based in communism or worse. So, they constantly yell racism. If a person does not agree with their communist agenda, he is a racist or she is a racist. I will give it to you that democrats are great liars. No one can lie as good as a democrat. They lie about everything. There is no truth in any democrat. Democrats are also world class cheaters. No one can cheat like a democrat. The democrats being for civil rights is just one of their great lies to pull in the black vote. The democrats lie so good that the blacks believe them, even though the democrat could care less about the blacks except for their vote. And, another of the democrats great lies is how they say they are for the middle class and the little guy. Nothing could be farther from the truth. All democrats care about is power and they will lie, cheat, steal and kill to get it and keep it. One thing you wrote about Lincoln being no good is true, but the winners of a war write the history, and so most think he was the best president ever. Once a persons eyes are opened to the democrats deception, the democrat cannot fool him or her anymore. Sorry, I do not know much about all of the other genders the democrats have invented.
Again, Larry’s zeal to blame the modern Democratic party for all racial ills, for all time, past, present, and future, is a misguided simplistic view that only bolsters his real goal that we believe all things Democratic are bad and Republicans have always been grand.
While Larry may be, may want it to be, life is never so simple.
I find it funny that the CRT hating team, fearful that history might make little whitey feel guilty and have nightmares, that the CRT fraidy cats embrace spreading the DRT or Democrat Racist Theory wherever they can. It’s just stupid to characterize the modern Democratic party as racist, at least overt racists. Systemic racism, yes, but along with our white Republican systemic racism teammates.
Larry conveniently forgets that Southern Democrats and Northern Democrats were two different beasts. He forgets that not one of his horrific examples are from the North. That’s like me concluding all Republicans are racist just because most racist white supremacist organization support Republicans like they did on 1/6/2021. I would never jump to that erroneous conclusion.
Yes, Southern Democrats embraced slavery and Northern Democrats, and Republicans tolerated them for power. They were racist and owned slavery and it’s aftermath until the 1950’s. But from 1840 to 1933, the year when the modern Democratic party took form under FDR, Democrats only owned the bully pulpit of the Presidency for only 24 of the close to 100 years. Republicans controlled the White House for over 70 of the years. So if Republicans owning the Presidency are not to blame for slavery, they certainly didn’t do shit about it for decades.
After Republican Hoover caused The Great Depression, FDR created many of the tenants of the modern Democratic party aka The New Deal. We’re socialists, not racists….. :>) (just kidding, we are not either)
At one point Southern Democrats were even taken over by the Dixiecrats, the most extreme white supremacists them all, with Strom Thurmond as their candidate. In 1968, Strom came out of the Southern Democratic closet and became a Republican. As did most Southern Democrats. Many lasted throughout the 50’s because they are not the sharpest tools in the toolbox, but like Strom, they became Republicans with most crossing over as Johnson, LBJ, another Southern Democrat with a confused personal and professional outlook on racism, took over with his massive civil rights agenda. At that point, most Southern Democrat racists became Republicans, the party which mostly ignored them, avoided them, and even called them out for racist activities, until the time of Trump where they are encouraged and emboldened or just say nothing about it like Larry who does not like the personality but loves the policies.
IOW. Times changes. Party’s change. People change parties. Larry knows that but it does not serve his partisan agenda. These were awful things that Southern Democrats most certainly did. But they are Republicans now and not part of the modern Democratic party.
Together, Dems and Repubs have, many times inadvertently, caused systemic racism which Larry knows exists, but can not identify the reason beyond “it’s da dems.” It would be great to discuss the laws, policies, and programs which foster systemic racism and think about solutions. Or we can blame each other, do nothing, and move on.
IOW — I agree with Larry that systemic racism exists. I am glad he is woke. But it’s not just the Dems fault and just removing the Dems from the equation will not improve the situation. That’s just partisan politics from a bitter old man.
Frank Stetson … I only blame the MODERN Democratic Party for the MODERN institutional racism found in the cities they control — and that is basically the only places you find INSTITUTIONAL racism in America. And AGAIN, you have not disputed my characterization of the segregated cities. Game … set … match.
Of course I have not disputed that the cities have a lot of poor, and most poor are minorities.
I just added that Republican cities have the same problems. Red States have the same problems.
You have yet to dispute that beyond saying you’re right and I am wrong.
You have yet to describe one piece of legislation that does this, one program, or one policy. I do think they exist, but that they exist where it’s BLUE and they exist where it’s RED. Especially RED States.
You actually need to serve the ball to win the point.
I really think you are right that it exists, and wrong to once again term all the country’s ills as being Democratic as the root cause. It’s just that you have not shown your work, all you do is bay at the moon.
Larry is right, FDR is a racist. Larry is wrong, FDR is not a racist. Seems, like many leaders, FDR is complex. Larry needs simple so it’s rough.
I looked at The New Deal, the very foundation of the modern Democratic party vision, and it’s racist. Not sure FDR intended it, but in many cases, he owns it.
First, many of the folks running the programs were racist and operationalize their programs accordingly. He should have known in advance or by monitoring the programs. Second, the lynchpin of it all, Social Security was originally passed excluding domestics and agro workers, most of whom are black. Those tenants were put in the law by a racist and FDR signed the law either because that’s all he could get passed, or because he is a racist.
FDR sends many mixed messages on this, but the bottom line is The New Deal embodies the archetype definition of systemic racism. I may still love it, but it’s like loving an America that allowed slavery for a time. Obviously, these aspects have been fixed, also. For example, Secretary Harold Ickes, running the Public Works Administration, made the PWA an example of equality. He was head of the Chicago NAACP previously and FDR’s choice (see article).
Here’s a good piece detailing the complexity of The New Deal, racism, and FDR. Fuck, I think we are done to George Washington as the only “good guy” as President…. sigh. https://oxfordre.com/americanhistory/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780199329175.001.0001/acrefore-9780199329175-e-632
Truth is more nuanced than a simple yes or no on FDR’s racism, but intended/unintended, political or purposeful — he instituted a number of forms of systemic racism.
Larry was mostly right about FDR and The New Deal is replete with all sorts of systemic racism in many different forms including by law as well as by management.
Frank Stetson …. for a guy who always demands a history lesson of facts, you make an assertion about long term GOP-controlled cities having the same history of institutional racism without citing even one example. And your repeated claim that it applies to red states is simply stupid … and you should know better, You are referring to red states in which the racism is found in the Democrat controlled cities within the state It is the product of DEMOCRAT leadership that controls the institutions … ergo the racism. The residual of INSTITUTIONAL RACISM is city based. You say I have not shown my evidence. You mean that you are totally clueless as to the segregation and oppression of blacks in our major cities? Come on. man. Stop playing the stupid card.
For a guy who rarely responds to any request for more information except to say: “everyone knows it, look it up yourself,” your request is humorous. Especially when the first Republican city with segregation is Jacksonville, FL. You can blame the Fed, but what is this Republican mayor doing to be different than Democratic controlled cities in this regard? NOTHING. https://digitalcommons.unf.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1087&context=soars
https://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/blog/latin/2013/11/heres-a-look-at-racial-segregation-in.html
School integration still a problem in Republican held Fort Worth Texas. https://www.blackpast.org/african-american-history/fort-worth-texas-where-west-and-south-meet-brief-history-citys-african-american-communi/
I can go on, basically it will be 100%. The problem isn’t party, it’s systemic racism on all sides.
And you have yet to show one law, program, or policy that is ONLY used in Democratic cities as the cause.
School segregation? School segregation is a problem in each and every Democrat led large city. The systemic racism that you seek is right under your nose.
Joe, I agree, however Larry has yet to pinpoint the laws, policies, and programs that make it so, and, to my point, that somehow Republican cities don’t have the same issues.
I have just pointed out they do.
I guess he is “totally clueless” and owns his own “stupid card,” himself, his own ad hominem attack words. I guess, after reading those citations showing it happens in Republican managed cities, you doubled down on “clueless and stupid.” Nice job.
Larry, You say that the historian that I quoted does not know her facts, but it is very difficult to believe what you assert is true, when you have a basic misconception of history and the definition of “Conservative”. The very definition of Conservative means to maintain the status quo, or at the least to return to how things were in the past. In both of these, the Republican Party under Lincoln was not “Conservative”. They wanted (and succeeded) in changing the way of life in the Southern United States by ending slavery. That was a huge change, and it is obvious to any historian that the party of Lincoln was very Liberal, and at the time the Democrats were Conservative (they obviously wanted to keep the status quo). So, it is I who does not understand where you get your information regarding the formation of the Republican Party, it appears that you are not a student of history (or logical thinking for that matter). So now we come to the present day, and everyone knows that there are still white supremacists in the country. In an earlier day, these people would have considered themselves Democrats, that is a matter of fact. However, since the era of Civil Rights (which was embraced by Democrats, the so-called “northern Democrats), they have migrated to the Republican Party. You seem unable to accept that-apparently it does not fit your “narrative”. Think people like David Duke, who identify as Republican, and also recall the Charlottesville Riots where the President that you supported at that time said there were “many fine people on both sides”, refusing to state that the White Supremacists who were marching in Charlottesville were bad people-fearful of alienating them and losing their votes. And of course there is the issue of Confederate statues and the Confederate Battle Flag, which Black people for the most part find very troubling, which few Republicans wanted removed. You also mention the issue of poverty of Blacks in Liberal Governed Cities, but you fail to take into account that poverty among Blacks is just as high in Republican governed cities, and in the countryside of Republican Controlled States. You pick an issue and then attempt to develop “facts” to support your premise, but you ignore anything that might refute your statements, hardly an objective discussion, but then that is not your purpose is it?
Mike F … You need to go past pop culture definitions. There are three ways the liberal/conservative divide is articulated. One is liberal support change … conservatives resist it. The second is that liberal are caring folks … conservatives are flint-hearted and greedy. The third — AND THE ONLY VALID DESCRIPTION — is that liberally favor strong central government that are highly regulatory … and conservative’s believe in limited government and maximum personal freedom.
Conservatives are as likely to advance innovative ideas as liberals. School choice to name one. Extending civil rights to ALL people is a maintain of conservatism. The record shows that conservatives were there force behind all major civil rights legislation while liberals were defending the status quo. Lincoln governed by conservatives principles — the belief that “all men are created equal.” Southern democrats were brutal authoritarians — depriving black Americans of their basic constitutional rights. Folks who believe in LIMITED GOVERNMENT do not support authoritarian governments of any kind — communist, socialist, dictatorships, monarchies, etc. We believe governance comes from the bottom up … not the top down.
The political continuum goes from anarchy on the right to one-person rule on the left. the Founders gave us a conservative federal democratic Republic. They envisioned a very very limited federal government, Lincoln ascribed to those principles. The one area in which conservatives criticize Lincoln was his suspension of Habeas Corpus during the war.
Mike F … when you examine the transition of the south from Democrat to Republican you see the most obvious change. Gone were the fire hoses … the segregation … the lynchings … the pandemic attacks on blacks … in increase in black voters … office holders. White supremacist groups shrunk from hundreds of thousands of members to a miniscule number. But even as Republicans took over state offices, may local communities remained under racist Democrat leadership in more recent times. I am betting you have no knowledge of the events in Cumming, Georgia and Cleveland, Mississippi. It is evolutionary, but there can be no doubt that Republican leadership has been better for blacks. The
Democrats’ reputation for civil rights is almost exclusively centered on welfare programs and generational dependency — which has had virtually no benefit for blacks in terms of ending oppression, segregation and the tragic effects of institutional racism. David Duke switched back and forth between the Democratic Party and the Republican Party — and when he ran as a Republican, he was repudiated and defeat.
And again you do not know facts. The initial removal of the statues and the Confederate battle flags from southern state flags was led by Republican governors and legislators. You seem to take you history from mendacious political narrative proffered by the left. The question is … do you have the intellectual integrity to examine ALL the facts objectively? I hope so.
y’all should take some history lessons, indeed. Look at what happened in the South after the Civil War. DEMOCRATS were in charge everywhere, and Larry has hit it perfect. All of that mess happened because of the Dumbocrats. I’m sure many are rotting in Hell right now.
Today, we’re at least starting to do better. Yeah, look at the biggest and most distressing cities where there is still obvious systemic racism and huge ethnically separated neighborhoods in terribly distressed areas. The outstanding bulk of them are located where the DEMOCRATS are the party “leading” those cities. New York City, Detroit, Toledo, Cleveland, Los Angeles, to name a few.
I was born and raised in Toledo. I saw the distress of the areas in town where the blacks lived and will always remember how poor those places were and how frightened I was to even entertain a thought of going through such an area in my car. Detroit was even more segregated when I moved to that area for work. The Democrats still control most of Michigan and have for a long time. Chicago is much the same.
If we are ever to get over this, we ALL have to WORK TOGETHER to stop the systemic ostracism of ethnic communities and get EVERYONE pulling in the same direction. It will have to be a joint effort on the part of local leaders and area leaders to reverse this.
Yeah, I admit I grew up in the “lily white” suburbs and got a great education at my local public schools. I went to a non-segregated University of Toledo and got a wealth of education on how other races and ethnicities think and WHY!!!! I got to work, play, and study with all kinds of folks from everywhere in the world. I served in the Air Force later with all kinds of folks from just about everywhere, too. And guess what? skin color and ethnicity aside, my friends and co-workers were all of the same mind. Get the job done. Stop letting race or gender step in the way of having the best person for the job getting the job and doing it. I served in squadrons led by African-American men AND WOMEN. I served under men and women of all sorts in all kinds of places. We all need to get over ourselves and realize that everyone has the same feelings and motivations. It’s a modern age and we need to learn to live together, or we will all end up being laid waste by the consequences.
By the way, one of the most outlandish racists ever to lead this nation is not even mentioned. Try Woodrow Wilson! Look at what he did with legislation under his administration. He made VERY sure that blacks were singled out for EXCLUSION in anything that mattered. Look at what he did to assure that blacks were excluded from the military until AFTER the Second World War. And lots of other stuff.
Time for Republicans to stand up and call it like it is.