Washington race riot of 1919

Washington race riot of 1919
Three armed European-Americans questioning an unarmed African-American on the pavement
Date July 19 – 24, 1919
Location Washington D. C., United States

The Washington race riot of 1919 was civil unrest in Washington, D.C. from July 19, 1919 to July 24 1919. It was one of the Red Summer riots in America.

The context

Washington DC had evolved as one of the places in the USA where a significant number of successful African-Americans were living, with a particular concentration in the Le Droit Park area, near Howard University. This area had originally been segregated as a White-only zone, but students from Howard University had torn down the gates as part of a wider initiative to desegregate the suburb in 1888. The City as a whole was 75% composed of White Americans.

The riot

The first night, 19 July

The race riot started on Saturday 19 July following an incident involving two African-American men and Elsie Stephnick, the white wife of an employee of the United States Naval Aviation Department.[1] She was "jostled" near New York Avenue, and 15th Street Northwest.[2] One of the men was arrested and questioned concerning an alleged sexual assault, but subsequently released.[3] The preceding weeks had seen a sensationalist newspaper campaign concerning the alleged sexual crimes of a "negro fiend", which contributed to the violence of the succeeding events.[3] A mob of White Americans formed and started attacks on several African Americans and also the an African-American family home.

See also

Further reading

  • McWhirter, Cameron (2011-07-19). Red Summer: The Summer of 1919 and the Awakening of Black America. Henry Holt and Company. ISBN 9781429972932.
  • Charles Alan Spears This Nation's Gratitude: The Washington, D.C. Race Riot of 1919, Howard University, 1999

References

  1. ↑ Rucker, Walter C.; Upton, James N. (2007). Encyclopedia of American Race Riots. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 9780313333026. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
  2. ↑ Rucker, Walter C.; Upton, James N. (2007). Encyclopedia of American Race Riots. Greenwood Publishing Group. ISBN 9780313333026.
  3. 1 2 Perl, Peter. "Race Riot of 1919 Gave Glimpse of Future Struggles". www.washingtonpost.com (March 1, 1999). Washington Post. Retrieved 3 August 2018.
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