Racial Reverberations - The Jackson State Riots of 1970

By:Ian Spellfield

Jackson State University is a historically black university located just west of downtown Jackson, Mississippi. Jackson State, like many other colleges and universities around the country, was seething with protests in the spring of 1970, centered around the Vietnam War and racial relations.

On May 4th, 1970, four students at Kent State University in Ohio were shot dead by National Guardsmen, further increasing the tension on campus. White motorists traveling along Lynch Street, which runs through the campus and connects western Jackson to downtown, were a constant source of racial hatred.

On the evening of May 14th, the rumor started to spread that the mayor of Jackson, Charles Evers (brother of the murdered civil rights icon Medgar Evers) had been assassinated. At this, a small group of students left their dormitories to protest at about 9:30 pm that evening, and several motorists on Lynch Street had rocks thrown at their cars. These students overturned a dump truck and set several fires around the campus. The Jackson firefighters were called out in response to the fires and demanded polce backup. The Mississippi National Guard had already been called out the previous evening to deal with other riots in Jackson.

The National Guard massed west of campus while the city police and highway patrolmen blocked off a 30-block area around the te school. Their combined show of force allowed the firefighters to extinguish the fires around the campus. For whatever reason, the National Guard, patrolmen, and police did not stand down but instead marched toward Alexander Hall, a women's dormitory. A crowd of 75 to 100 students gathered in front of Alexander Hall, throwing bricks and chanting. Just after midnight, it appears that someone hit an officer with a piece of debris, causing the officer to fall down. Some local reporters claim to have seen someone point a pistol from within the dormitory.

The police responded with a hail of gunfire, which may or may not have been preceded with a warning. The gunfire continued for over half a minute, with a total of almost 500 rounds hitting the dormitory. (Many of the bullet holes are still visible today.) At that point, two students, Phillip Lafayette Gibbs and James Earl Green, lay down, shot dead. Twelve more students, including several from within the building, were wounded by gunfire; many more had to be hospitalized due to flying glass and shock. Every window in the building facing the street had been shattered. Ambulances were not called until the police picked up their shell casings and left. Jackson claimed that the city police had not fired during the final fusillade, but did not contest that the highway patrolmen did.

The Jackson State shooting, along with Kent State and others were studied by the Committee on Campus Unrest established by President Nixon in June 1970. A plaza has been bult to commemorate this fell incident on the Jackson State campus.

Digg del.icio.us Blink Stumble Spurl Reddit Netscape Furl

Article keywords: jackson state riots, racial riots, racial reverberations, Black Ghetto Baby Names, race

Article Source: http://www.articles2k.com

Ian Spellfield explores the most frequently used African American names through the lens of history in his blog, Black Ghetto Baby Names.

Top Culture and Society Articles
1). The Controversy Over Roadside Field Sobriety Tests By : Lance Knowlton Copyright 2006 Lance Knowlton Roadside field sobriety tests (FSTs), developed at the behest of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), are commonly employed by police officers during DUI stops to determine whether a driver is under the influence of alcohol. FSTs generally consist of a battery of three to five exercises, such as walking and turning in a different direction, standing on one leg, nystagmus (using the eyes to track an object), touching the finger to the nose and reciting the alphabet.
2). Recognizing The Signs Of Alcohol Abuse By : Aurel Radulescu Alcohol abuse, or alcoholism, is a serious illness that often requires immediate treatment. Not everyone knows what to look for in terms of alcohol abuse, but the truth is that there are very definitive signs that can quickly confirm the need for treatment. Many alcoholics drink because they are angry or sad, but often end up feeling guilty either while they are drinking or after the effects wear off.
3). Know Your Personality Type By : CD Mohatta Our world is made of all kinds of persons. Some do things as they have been done since ages. They talk, react, judge and act exactly as they have seen and taught. These kinds of people hate original and new ideas calling them dangerous for the world. On the other side of the spectrum are people who live life dangerously. They want to break every convention, every rule and live life on their own terms.
4). Are You A Potential Crime Victim? By : Joseph Garrio I've been in law enforcement for 17 years and have a great deal of experience working in the street and dealing with the common problems and crimes of the average person. This article addresses the common crimes that are occuring to people when removed from their homes. This is to make you aware of them and how to reduce your chances of becoming a victim.
5). Year in review - Top 12 News stories of 2005 By : paul wilson1 As yet another New Year dawns, it is time for us to look back on 2005 and view from the outside all that happened. There were joys, triumphs, and tears. That everything that happens is a learning experience is quite true. Among the many occurrences of 2005 news stories that were significant were: 1. Google made history in June 2005 as its share price made it the most highly valued media company.
6). Guide to terrorism and world markets By : Mansi gupta What worse could have happened to the US economy then the 9th September 2001? Some perverted religious fanatics demolished the embodiment of the world trade. Terrorism is a threat to all the nations of the world. The human loss due to these activities cannot be condemned with words. The ruthlessness of the terror traders has an impact on each and every segment of life.
7). Everything You Do Is Right Day By : CD Mohatta 16th March is celebrated as the day when whatever you do is right. This is a very exciting thought. I searched for the origin but could not find any clue about how this day began. What precisely does this mean - Everything you do is right. Let me put my ideas across about this day. In our everyday life whenever we do anything, it can be called right or wrong.
8). Is This Funny: Can We Develop Non-Violent Humour? By : Ivana Milojević �In its original historical meaning, a cartoon (from the Italian cartone, meaning "big paper") is a full-size drawing made on paper as a study for a further artwork, such as a painting or tapestry. In modern print media, a cartoon is an illustration, usually humorous in intent.� http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cartoons The current representation of conflict.
9). Is There Income After Peak Oil And Economic Collapse? There Is If You're Clever. By : Mick Winter Many predict that the world will soon experience an economic depression, brought on by a variety of factors, but most particularly Peak Oil - the lessening production of petroleum. (For full information on Peak Oil, see Dry Dipstick - www.drydipstick.com) No matter what happens to the economy, you'll probably still need income. Work continues even in hard times.
10). Escorts Bartering : A Great Way to an Additional Income By : Ispas Marin When it comes to escorts you should think that they can have a quite different way to make some extra income. I call this bartering. you can think about bartering as a way to get some goods and services at some very cheap ways. It's known that everybody has needs and so do escorts. In almost all the cases this needs that can turn in goods or services are easily procured trough bartering far below what the cost would be for cash.

New Culture and Society Articles
1). Broadway Offers Choice Entertainment For All By : Tom Sample Broadway has a rich history of showing live plays that can be traced back all the way to the early 1800s.
2). What Refugees Should Do Upon Entering A New Country By : John Morris You may be an immigrant and not even realize it. So be sure to fill out the proper paperwork. Many people fail to do this and as a result how long they have lived within the country may come into question...
3). Pirates of Yesterday Still Exist on the High Seas By : Jerry Cahill Remember all the stories and movies about pirates? Pirates still exist today on the high seas.
4). Fly the American Flag Respectfully and Responsibly By : Ray La Foy If your desire is to fly an American flag and follow all the customs that go along with it, read on.
5). Low Income Senior Housing, It Is All Relative By : Jerry Cahill Low income senior housing is a fast growing problem. Historically housing projects did not plan for low income senior housing. Now the need is great.
6). Choose A Wine Gift Basket That Suits The Occasion By : Brooke Hayles No matter what the occasion might be, a wine gift basket makes an ideal present. The best part is that you can personalize it by adding your personal touch to it to make it a gift to be remembered and cherished for a long time to come.
7). Go Celestial with the Celestron Telescope CPC 8 By : Anne Noonan The Celestron telescope cpc 8 is a high-end professional model with many great features for an exquisite look at the heavens. Its formal name is Celestron CPC 800 Professional Computerized Schmidt-Cassegrain Telescope. This Celestron telescope cpc 8 offers easy and quick alignment and GPS, with quality of optics that is unbeatable. Set up is fast and easy, and the Celestron cpc8 is made for ergonomically correct study of the star.
8). Best Rated Gas Grills Under $300 By : Judy Simpson The first of the best rated gas grills under $300 is the Brinkman Pro Series 2210. A very basic grill, it offers a 636 total square inch area for cooking, which is very large in comparison to most in this price range. Its 12000 btu burning capacity is not that powerful, but it does offer three burners. While the cart on this gas bbq is not as sturdy as it could be the burners are made of cast iron and should last a very long time.
9). Best Prom Dress By : Kent Pinkerton Prom night is the most exciting night of high school life-and the most looked forward to. It is the night for dressing up in your best attire and creating an impression that would last as long as your childhood memories. Dressing up for the prom night is every girl's dream. Prom dresses are generally formal party gowns, long and delicately stunning.
10). Has TV helped the Online Psychic Readings Industry ? By : moonwhisper Moonwhisper.com as well as many other psychic reading websites has proven that the internet is a viable venue for professional psychics to display their services and provide an obviously very lucrative service to the major players in the online psychic reading industry. With an increasing demand for high quality and affordable psychic advice rising daily smaller websites are finding it easier to break into this niche market and take psychic service promotions to the next level with a complete line of co branded services on the web.

� 2006 articles2k.com - Privacy Policy