Louisiana Governor Pardons Homer Plessy From ‘Separate But Equal’ Ruling

By BET staff, BET News The landmark 1896 case solidified Jim Crow. Louisiana Governor John Bel Edwards has pardoned Homer Adolph Plessy, of the 1896 Plessy v. Ferguson ruling. According to CBS, Edwards signed the pardon during a ceremony outside the former rail station in New Orleans where Plessy was arrested 130 years ago for sitting in a white area…

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Learning from the Failure of Reconstruction

The riot at the Capitol was reminiscent of the overthrow of Reconstruction, which was accomplished by violent assaults on elected officials. Dr. Eric Foner, an expert on the Reconstruction era, shares his analysis.

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Racial Terror and the Second Repeal of Reconstruction

In the age of Trump white nationalism, hate crimes and acts of domestic terrorism have escalated. Recent acts of violence mirror the years following Reconstruction that resulted in American Descendants of Slavery losing all rights and privileges gained after the Civil War and the imposition of Jim Crow Laws.

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When Civility Is Used As A Cudgel Against People Of Color

Manifest Destiny as a mind-set and working model has made it clear that America has a duty to civilize the rest of the uncivilized world. The uncivilized masses are to be patient and calm and not “rock the boat”,as they await the privileges that come with Christianity and democracy.

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How Black Citizenship Was Won, and Lost

In this week’s New York Times Race/Related section, Jennifer Schuessler brings word of a New-York Historical Society exhibit shedding new light on the lives of African-Americans during the Reconstruction era. From covering the legal and political battles that were fought the nation over to showcasing artifacts of the smaller, day-to-day, personal battles of individuals African-Americans and their families, this exhibit helps to remind today’s divided America not only of just how dangerous such division can become, but just how important the fight for truth, justice, and equality really is.

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Back When Sears Made Black Customers a Priority

In this week’s New York Times Race/Related section, Lauretta Charlton gets Cornell University professor Louis Hyman’s take on the effect that the original Sears marketing strategy had on the lives of African-Americans across the country. Sears, Roebuck and Company distributed its catalog in hopes of granting access to new economic territory to Americans of all colors. With this access to a much more competitive market with far lower prices on items of all kinds, African-Americans far and wide took the chance to negate the power of Jim Crow laws that had hitherto denied them equitable access to such goods.

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