Today in Labor History May 31, 1921: The Tulsa Race Riot. From May 31 through June 1, deputized whites (i.e., racist vigilantes) killed more than 300 African Americans in the worst race riot in U.S. history. The violence began in response to a false report in the Tulsa Tribune accusing a black man of attacking a white girl in an elevator. The headline made the front page. However, there was an accompanying editorial that called for a lynching. White Tulsans went to the African American community of Greenwood (the Black Wall Street) and started shooting black people. They looted and burned 40 square blocks, destroying over 1,400 African American homes, hospitals, schools, and churches. Ten thousand became homeless and had to spend the winter of 1921 living in tents.

Many African American residents fought back, including veterans of World War One. This attempt at self-preservation prompted the deputized whites and National Guardsmen to arrest 6,000 black residents. Furthermore, they bombarded the community from the air in what was likely the first aerial bombardment of mainland U.S. residents. At least a dozen planes, some carrying police, circled the community and dropped burning balls of turpentine. They also shot at residents from the air. Many of the whites were members of the Klan, such as W. Tate Brady, who had also participated in the tarring and feathering of members of the Industrial Workers of the World in 1917.

Just a few months later, the government again bombarded civilians from the air, during the Battle of Blair Mountain, when 15,000 coal miners battled 3,000 cops, private cops and vigilantes, in the largest insurrection since the Civil War. Up to 100 miners died in the fighting, along with 10-30 Baldwin-Felts detectives and three national guards.

You can read my full article on the Battle of Blair Mountain here: https://michaeldunnauthor.com/2024/04/14/the-battle-of-blair-mountain/

#workingclass #LaborHistory #tulsa #massacre #riot #racism #pogrom #IWW #police #policebrutality #massacre #greenwood #BlackWallStreet #kkk #klan #kukluxklan #blairmountain #miner #coal #union #strike #BlackMastodon

"The story of #Zabars–a #NYC #foodie fixture–is bigger than #bagels: it includes a horrifying #pogrom, a narrow escape to #America, and success in the face of countless setbacks. For #Jewish #American Heritage Month, Noam asks: what does does this story mean to American #Jews, and America at large? In a rare interview, #DavidZabar, a senior executive and third-generation family member, tells us the incredible story of Louis and Lilly #Zabar, how Zabar’s sees itself in the American tapestry, and yes… his bagel order."

https://unpacked.media/is-the-zabars-story-a-jewish-story-with-david-zabar/

Today in Labor History April 19, 1903: The Kishinev pogrom occurred in Bessarabia. At the time, Bessarabia was part of the Russian Empire. Today it is part of Moldova. During the pogrom, local Christians killed 49 Jews, raped many Jewish women and destroyed over 1500 homes. The incident led Zionist founder, Theodor Herzl, to propose the Uganda Scheme for resettlement of the Jews in east Africa. The British government supported the plan, as it would help further their interests and imperialism in Africa, and help limit the influx of Jewish refugees into Britain from eastern Europe. Herzl had also proposed creating a Jewish homeland in Cyprus. Of course, what he really desired was a Jewish homeland in Palestine, but the Kishinev pogrom caused him to feel a greater urgency to create any kind of homeland as quickly as possible, and east Africa was what was being offered. The proposal nearly fractured the Zionist movement, with many delegates walking out, and other expressing a loss of faith in Herzl’s leadership. White British gentile settlers in east Africa also opposed the plan.

#antisemitism #moldova #pogrom #palestine #zionism #jewish