Even as we are experiencing these extreme weather events, I want to call our attention to another extreme summer that became known as “The Red Summer of 1919.” This was not about the weather. Rather it refers to extreme racial violence in over 25 cities throughout the country resulting in numerous deaths and many more injuries. The violence started by targeting Black indviduals and communities usually over some perceived transgression of Black people who did not “stay in their place.” In particular, many Black veterans of World War I returned home wanting to experience greater levels of freedom and equality. They were met with resistance by white citizens and authorities. In many cases this escalated into racial violence. On July 19, violence erupted in Washington, DC that continued for four days. When local and federal authorities refused to hold the white rioters responsible, the Black community mobilized to protect themselves. In Chicago, violence against the Black community erupted on July 27 following the death of a Black boy who drowned after being hit by stones when his raft drifted into the “Whites Only” area of the beach. White rioters then rampaged through Black sections of Chicago. The pictures posted above come from that time including the one showing white children destroying the home of a Black family that had been forced out. Throughout the Red Summer of 1919, white racist violence was met by the determination of Black people to protect their communities and struggle for equality. The following quote from an article posted on the website of the National World War I Museum and Memorial summarizes the lasting impact of the Red Summer of 1919:
The Red Summer of 1919 did not intimidate African Americans into submission, as their tormentors had hoped. Instead, African Americans emerged from the violence of that bloody year with a greater sense of shared purpose, identity and pride, which served as a vital foundation for the civil rights movement to come.
As we experience this summer’s extreme weather, I hope we will remember and honor the memory and example of those who endured violence and stood up for racial justice during the Red Summer of 1919. The struggle for racial justice continues in the summer of 2023. How will we respond?
The video posted below features the historian Henry Louis Gates, Jr. and provides further information and insights about Red Summer and how it relates to the struggle for racial justice in our time.