On Sunday, January 18, 1981, thirteen black youths attending a birthday party in Deptford, South London was killed in an alleged racially-motivated house fire. The New Cross Fire tragedy highlighted hostility between black Britons, the police and the media. On the night of the fire, … Read MoreThe New Cross Fire (January 18, 1981)
One of the last of the major riots of the “Red Summer” of 1919, the so-called race riot in Elaine, Arkansas was in fact a racial massacre. Though exact numbers are unknown, it is estimated that over 200 African Americans were killed, along with five whites, during the white … Read MoreElaine, Arkansas Riot (1919)
Jacob Zuma is the 4th president of post-apartheid South Africa and a member of the African National Congress (ANC). He held the presidency for nine years from 2009 to 2018 until he was ousted under a shroud of scandals and corruption. Before his presidency, Zuma worked with other African nationalists … Read MoreJacob Gedleyihlekisa Zuma (1942– )
Asbury Park, New Jersey’s West Side district—predominantly black and housing 40% of the town’s permanent population—was consumed by rioting from July 4 to July 10 in 1970. At the time of the riot, 30% of the population, 17,000 people approximately, were African American. The town’s huge tourist-resort industry … Read MoreAsbury Park Race Riot (1970)
The city of Camden, New Jersey was the setting for two deadly race-related riots on September 2nd, 1969, and August 20th, 1971. Both riots were in response to alleged police brutality or murder, the victims being an unidentified young black girl, who was beaten by a white police officer in … Read MoreCamden, New Jersey Riots (1969 and 1971)
Destroyed Nucleus Plaza Mall, The West Las Vegas Race Riot, 1992 Image Ownership: Public domain The West Las Vegas Riot occurred on April 30, 1992 in the predominantly black Westside of Las Vegas, Nevada. The riot came a day after four Los Angeles Police Department officers were acquitted … Read MoreWest Las Vegas Riot (1992)
Gas Station Burned in 2016 Milwaukee Riot Image Ownership: Public domain On the afternoon at 3:30 p.m. of Saturday, August 13, 2016, in the Sherman Park area of Milwaukee, Wisconsin, a 23-year-old black man, Sylville K. Smith, was shot and killed by a 24-year-old black police officer. Smith, along … Read MoreMilwaukee Riot (2016)
Women Flee the Hunter’s Point Riot Area, 1966 Image Ownership: Public domain The Hunter’s Point Uprising in 1966 began September 27 and lasted for 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 … Read MoreHunter’s Point, San Francisco Uprising (1966)
Temporary Swimming Pool Installed on Chicago’s West Side in the Aftermath of the Chicago Uprising Image Ownership: Public domain 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 … Read MoreChicago, Illinois Uprising (1966)
Two Elizabeth Policemen Arrest a Black Teenager During the Elizabeth Riot, August 12, 1964 Image Ownership: Public domain 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 … Read MoreElizabeth, New Jersey Uprising (1964)