The Almost-Forgotten Summer Of Black Resistance

This week, 105 years ago in our nation’s capital, Black residents displayed a show of strength that is not often talked about. It was during a time called the Red Summer of 1919—a season of nationwide, racially motivated massacres instigated by White perpetrators.

Photo by Adam Michael Szuscik on Unsplash

Growing up and attending schools in the DC area, I never learned about this historic summer of violence, so a few years back I decided to write a story about it. You can read it here. I won’t go into the details, but to provide context, here’s an excerpt:

On the evening of Friday, July 18, 1919, off-duty White sailors and marines were gathering and drinking at their preferred saloons in downtown Washington, DC. At some point, a rumor started to circulate: a Black man had been questioned and released by police for allegedly assaulting a White woman, who happened to be the wife of a Navy sailor.

Out to get revenge, groups of White servicemen morphed into a roving mob of about 400 that rampaged through the streets. They marched past the White House and headed toward a predominately Black neighborhood near the city’s southwest waterfront.

Armed with lead pipes, bricks, and pieces of lumber, the mob brutally assaulted every Black person they saw along the way, even pulling Black passengers off of streetcars to beat them. One of the first people to die that night was Randall Neale, a 22-year-old, Black war veteran.

Interestingly enough, Carter G. Woodson, renowned author and historian, was walking along Pennsylvania Avenue that night, when he stumbled upon a horrific scene. He recalled how “they had caught a Negro and deliberately held him as one would a beef for slaughter.” After witnessing the man’s ultimate murder, Woodson got the heck out of there, walking as swiftly as he could without running, for fear he would be next.

What’s also interesting, is that over the next four days, Black Washingtonians fought back. In a heroic organized effort, they defended their families, homes, and businesses.

When a White mob entered the Black neighborhoods of Southwest and Shaw (including the famed U Street Corridor), armed residents were ready and waiting. In her book, Black Broadway In Washington, DC, author Briana A. Thomas describes how fair-skinned war vets infiltrated White militant meetings to gather information. Black gunmen positioned themselves on the roofs of row houses, while ROTC officers from Howard University handed out weapons and ammo. Additionally, armed Black residents patrolled a large section of U Street.

By Tuesday, July 22, 1919, as a result of a torrential downpour, in addition to federal troops that were called into the city, order was restored. Thirty people died. But it could’ve been much worse.

What could’ve resulted in a catastrophic loss of life and property for DC’s Black residents, ended up being much less severe. NAACP’s James Weldon Johnson wrote, “The Negroes saved themselves and saved Washington by their determination not to run but to fight—fight in defense of their lives and their homes.” The actions of these residents served as a testament to their bravery and ingenuity.

Sadly, all these years later in 2024, Black Americans are still fighting. Still in a battle that began with the very first revolts carried out by the enslaved.

While I will never advocate violence, there is something to be learned from historical acts of resistance. There are many—from freedom rides and sit-ins, to economic boycotts and making our voices heard at the ballot box. Fighting back can take shape in a variety of ways, but more than anything it requires our collective memory.

I recently attended a book-tour event featuring journalist Nickole Hanna-Jones, author of The 1619 Project, and she said it best: “Memory determines how we see ourselves and what we allow.”

History is memory, and those who choose to be on the right side of history, regardless of race, will always yield more power than the ones who’ve got it all wrong. As we enter what has already become a tumultuous election season, God help us if we allow misinformation—the massacre of truth—to erase what we need to remember.

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Kelly’s debut book, THE WEATHER OFFICER, will be available Fall 2024.