Will Mack, Author at

Student Historian

Will Mack is a graduate student at Southern New Hampshire University and will receive his MA in United States history in the spring of 2018. Will plans on advancing to a doctoral program in the fall of 2019 to focus on African American history, the civil rights movement, radicalism, the development of the carceral state, and labor history in the US. Will received his BA in history from Rutgers University-New Brunswick, New Jersey in 1999 and grew up in New York City.

Louise Thompson Patterson (1901-1999)

Louise Alone Thompson Patterson, civil rights activist, communist, and educator, was born in Chicago, Illinois on September 9, 1901 to Lulu (Louise) F. Brown Toles and William J. Toles. After her parents 1904 separation, Thompson lived in Seattle, Washington as well as Utah, Nevada, Idaho, … Read MoreLouise Thompson Patterson (1901-1999)

Bobby Hutton (1950-1968)

Robert James Hutton, also known as Bobby or Lil’ Bobby, was the first recruit and first treasurer of the Black Panther Party (BPP) at just 16 years old. He was also the first member of the party killed by the police. Hutton was born in Jefferson … Read MoreBobby Hutton (1950-1968)

Wayland Rudd (1900-1952)

Wayland Rudd was an American-born actor who moved to the Soviet Union in 1932 as part of a group of 22 African Americans called the “Black and White Film Club.” Before moving to the Soviet Union, Rudd gained recognition for his roles in The Emperor Jones and Othello and appeared in a … Read MoreWayland Rudd (1900-1952)

Richard Williams (?-?)

In the 1920s and 1930s, a number of African Americans moved to the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) because the new Communist government promised a level of racial equality that didn’t exist in the United States at that time. Many of them also believed they could … Read MoreRichard Williams (?-?)

Grand Rapids Uprising (1967)

The 1967 Grand Rapids Uprising occurred on July 25, 1967 in a predominantly black and impoverished neighborhood in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The uprising came only days after the much larger uprising in Detroit, Michigan but a post-riot official report titled “Anatomy of a Riot” written by the city’s … Read MoreGrand Rapids Uprising (1967)

The Central Park Five (1989)

The Central Park Five was a group of five young men–four African Americans (Yusef Salaam, 16; Anthony McCray, 16; Kharey Wise, 18; and Kevin Richardson, 16) and one Hispanic (Raymond Santana, 15)–who were tried and convicted of attempted murder, rape, sodomy, and assault of a … Read MoreThe Central Park Five (1989)

Hunter’s Point, San Francisco Uprising (1966)

The Hunter’s Point Uprising began on September 27, 1966, and lasted three days. At that time, it was the largest riot in San Francisco, California, since the anti-Chinese riots almost 90 years earlier. The uprising began when police chased and attempted to arrest three teenagers—Darrell Mobley, 14; … Read MoreHunter’s Point, San Francisco Uprising (1966)

Chicago, Illinois Uprising (1966)

The 1966 Chicago, Illinois uprising, also known as the West Side Riot, began on July 12 after police and African American youth clashed over the youth opening fire hydrants and playing in the water. African Americans complained that the police were singling them out while in the … Read MoreChicago, Illinois Uprising (1966)

Elizabeth, New Jersey Uprising (1964)

The 1964 Elizabeth, New Jersey uprising lasted from August 11 to 13. The three-day uprising occurred simultaneously with a separate clash in nearby Paterson, New Jersey and both, according to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), were the aftershocks of the larger uprisings in New York City, New York (July 18-23), … Read MoreElizabeth, New Jersey Uprising (1964)

New Orleans Dockworkers Riot (1894-1895)

The 1895 New Orleans Dockworkers Riot was a racially motivated attack on non-union black dockworkers by white dockworkers and their sympathizers. The riot occurred in New Orleans, Louisiana from March 9 through 12, 1895 and marked the end of nearly 15 years of bi-racial union cooperation and union power … Read MoreNew Orleans Dockworkers Riot (1894-1895)