The 1874 election was approaching. Terrified of Black voting power, whites in Eufaula, Alabama, formed “The White League.” League members threatened to fire their Black employees if they voted for the pro-Black candidate!
But were the threats enough to intimidate Black voters?
Absolutely not. The evening before elections, 1,000 Black men, including a man named Milas Lawrence, peacefully camped outside of the polls. That morning, the League showed up to threaten the men – and that’s when all Hell broke loose.
Lawrence demanded a fair election, so a league member STABBED him, while the other members began shooting the Black voters. Federal Troops stormed Eufaula, and eight Black men died. No Black person was able to vote that day, but the issue was far from settled.
Similar violence occurred throughout the South, drawing national attention – and eventually congressional investigations. In the end, Black voters were blamed for the violence!
Meanwhile, the White League celebrated because their candidate WON.
White politicians want us to believe our votes don’t matter, but if that’s true, why are they OBSESSED with keeping us from the polls? Like Eufaula’s Black voters, we must always excercise our civic power, even in the face of white terrorism.