Johnny Robinson (1947-1963)

Johnny Robinson was a sixteen-year-old African American man who was shot and killed by Birmingham, Alabama police officer Jack Parker on September 15, 1963. Robinson’s death occurred on the same day as the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church Bombing in Birmingham that resulted in the deaths of four young girls earlier … Read MoreJohnny Robinson (1947-1963)

Terence Crutcher (1976-2016)

On September 16, 2016, a 43-year-old Tulsa Police Officer Betty Shelby shot and killed Terence Crutcher. The circumstances of the shooting would become the source of a police investigation and a separate Civil Rights investigation by the Department of Justice. A trial resulting in an acquittal for Shelby and … Read MoreTerence Crutcher (1976-2016)

Alonzo Ashley (1982-2011)

Twenty-nine-year-old Alonzo Ashley was killed during a struggle with police officers at the Denver Zoo in Colorado. The Coroner ruled his death a homicide, meaning Ashley died at the hands of others.  The questionable circumstances around Ashley’s death was one of numerous cases that helped inspire the national Black … Read MoreAlonzo Ashley (1982-2011)

Samuel D. Chambers (1831-1929) and Amanda Chambers (1840-1925)

Like the majority of black Americans living in the South in pre-Civil War America, Samuel and Amanda Chambers were slaves.  Samuel, was born in 1831 in Pickens County, Alabama.  Amanda was born in 1840 in Noxubee County, Mississippi.  Samuel’s father was his owner, James Davidson.  … Read MoreSamuel D. Chambers (1831-1929) and Amanda Chambers (1840-1925)