June 11, 1963: Byron de la Beckwith, Pt. 1

June 11, 1963: Byron de la Beckwith, Pt. 1

On the night of June 11, 1963, Byron de la Beckwith murdered Medgar Evers with a single shot. But how did he end up hiding in a bush across the street from the home of a civil rights leader? Sources & Further Reading: Massengill, Reed (2024). Portrait of a racist: Byron De La Beckwith and the Assassination of Medgar Evers. Univ. of Tennessee Press. Zinn, Howard. (1964) SNCC: The New Abolitionists. Beacon Press. Boston. Mendelsohn, Jack. (1966) The martyrs : sixteen who gave their lives for racial justice. Harper & Row https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1963/06/12/issue.html [https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1963/06/12/issue.html] https://www.lodinews.com/features/vintage_lodi/article_426cb4b4-269e-5c6f-ba07-7e92ecf23142.html [https://www.lodinews.com/features/vintage_lodi/article_426cb4b4-269e-5c6f-ba07-7e92ecf23142.html]  https://jimcrowmuseum.ferris.edu/witnesses/medgarevers.htm [https://jimcrowmuseum.ferris.edu/witnesses/medgarevers.htm] https://www.mshistorynow.mdah.ms.gov/issue/medgar-evers-and-the-origin-of-the-civil-rights-movement-in-mississippi [https://www.mshistorynow.mdah.ms.gov/issue/medgar-evers-and-the-origin-of-the-civil-rights-movement-in-mississippi]  https://sites.rootsweb.com/~tnalhn/runawayslavenotices.htm [https://sites.rootsweb.com/~tnalhn/runawayslavenotices.htm] https://www.nytimes.com/2001/01/23/us/byron-de-la-beckwith-dies-killer-of-medgar-evers-was-80.html [https://www.nytimes.com/2001/01/23/us/byron-de-la-beckwith-dies-killer-of-medgar-evers-was-80.html] See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Flagged for Removal

Last week, a federal judge ordered the Department of the Interior to stop implementation of a Trump executive order that would whitewash history at National Park sites. A leaked database shows the materials that parks employees had flagged for removal. They want to 'make America great' by erasing its past. Sources & Further Reading: https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/03/restoring-truth-and-sanity-to-american-history/ [https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/03/restoring-truth-and-sanity-to-american-history/] https://www.doi.gov/document-library/secretary-order/so-3431-restoring-truth-and-sanity-american-history [https://www.doi.gov/document-library/secretary-order/so-3431-restoring-truth-and-sanity-american-history] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72285106/national-parks-conservation-association-v-department-of-the-interior/ [https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72285106/national-parks-conservation-association-v-department-of-the-interior/] https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72178941/city-of-philadelphia-v-burgum/ [https://www.courtlistener.com/docket/72178941/city-of-philadelphia-v-burgum/]  https://sites.google.com/umn.edu/save-our-signs/ [https://sites.google.com/umn.edu/save-our-signs/]  https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ulzIcpjpyTKLa52DClUkUlcazJPdAryK0B0oKmA9TF8/ [https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1ulzIcpjpyTKLa52DClUkUlcazJPdAryK0B0oKmA9TF8/]  https://mississippitoday.org/2026/02/05/medgar-evers-killer-trump-says-stop-calling-him-racist/ [https://mississippitoday.org/2026/02/05/medgar-evers-killer-trump-says-stop-calling-him-racist/] https://mississippitoday.org/2026/02/05/visitor-brochures-returned-medgar-evers-home/ [https://mississippitoday.org/2026/02/05/visitor-brochures-returned-medgar-evers-home/]  https://mississippitoday.org/2026/02/12/medgar-evers-home-omissions-to-story/ [https://mississippitoday.org/2026/02/12/medgar-evers-home-omissions-to-story/]  https://mississippitoday.org/2025/03/17/wwii-vet-medgar-evers-erased-from-arlington-cemetery-website/ [https://mississippitoday.org/2025/03/17/wwii-vet-medgar-evers-erased-from-arlington-cemetery-website/]  https://www.mississippifreepress.org/brochures-calling-medgar-evers-killer-racist-still-available-at-evers-home/ [https://www.mississippifreepress.org/brochures-calling-medgar-evers-killer-racist-still-available-at-evers-home/]  https://www.nhpr.org/2013-08-12/van-evers-honors-his-father-in-his-own-way [https://www.nhpr.org/2013-08-12/van-evers-honors-his-father-in-his-own-way]  https://abcnews.com/Politics/hegseth-announces-usns-harvey-milk-renamed-usns-oscar/story?id=123266490 [https://abcnews.com/Politics/hegseth-announces-usns-harvey-milk-renamed-usns-oscar/story?id=123266490]  https://www.mpbonline.org/blogs/news/medgar-evers-family-fights-efforts-to-strip-his-name-from-navy-vessel/ [https://www.mpbonline.org/blogs/news/medgar-evers-family-fights-efforts-to-strip-his-name-from-navy-vessel/]  https://www.sierraclub.org/press-releases/2026/02/national-park-service-plans-censor-brochures-murder-civil-rights-leader [https://www.sierraclub.org/press-releases/2026/02/national-park-service-plans-censor-brochures-murder-civil-rights-leader]  https://npshistory.com/publications/memy/brochures/2021.pdf [https://npshistory.com/publications/memy/brochures/2021.pdf] https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/02/16/philadelphia-trump-judge-slavery-history/ [https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2026/02/16/philadelphia-trump-judge-slavery-history/] https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/12/us/politics/judge-national-parks-trump.html [https://www.nytimes.com/2026/06/12/us/politics/judge-national-parks-trump.html] See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Klan Camp

In 1980, Texas Klan Grand Dragon Louis Beam was running a paramilitary training camp outside of Houston. But they weren't just training klansmen for the race war. They ran a boy scout camp on the weekends. Sources and further reading: Belew, Kathleen. Bring the War Home : The White Power Movement and Paramilitary America. Harvard University Press, 2018. https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/FSupp/518/993/2128255/ [https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/FSupp/518/993/2128255/] https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/FSupp/518/1017/2128803/ https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/FSupp/518/1017/2128803/ [https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/FSupp/518/1017/2128803/] https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/FSupp/543/198/1460786/ https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/FSupp/543/198/1460786/ [https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/FSupp/543/198/1460786/]  https://www.nytimes.com/1980/11/30/archives/paramilitary-actions-irk-neighbors-of-texas-camp-charter.html [https://www.nytimes.com/1980/11/30/archives/paramilitary-actions-irk-neighbors-of-texas-camp-charter.html] https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1980/11/24/boy-scouts-taught-to-fire-weapons-strangle-opponents/1eec4466-569a-47a8-b2e1-ce60c763ffe7/ https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1980/11/24/boy-scouts-taught-to-fire-weapons-strangle-opponents/1eec4466-569a-47a8-b2e1-ce60c763ffe7/ [https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1980/11/24/boy-scouts-taught-to-fire-weapons-strangle-opponents/1eec4466-569a-47a8-b2e1-ce60c763ffe7/]  https://www.upi.com/Archives/1980/11/23/Charge-Klan-teaches-scouts-how-to-strangle-people/2641343803600/ [https://www.upi.com/Archives/1980/11/23/Charge-Klan-teaches-scouts-how-to-strangle-people/2641343803600/]  https://www.upi.com/Archives/1980/11/24/Klan-member-trains-youths-at-paramilitary-camp/6144343890000/ [https://www.upi.com/Archives/1980/11/24/Klan-member-trains-youths-at-paramilitary-camp/6144343890000/] https://www.upi.com/Archives/1980/11/25/A-mother-says-two-teen-age-Explorer-scouts-who-attended/4442343976400/ [https://www.upi.com/Archives/1980/11/25/A-mother-says-two-teen-age-Explorer-scouts-who-attended/4442343976400/] https://www.upi.com/Archives/1980/12/05/The-owner-of-a-10-acre-plot-of-land-used/1128344840400/ https://www.upi.com/Archives/1980/12/05/The-owner-of-a-10-acre-plot-of-land-used/1128344840400/ [https://www.upi.com/Archives/1980/12/05/The-owner-of-a-10-acre-plot-of-land-used/1128344840400/] See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Outside Agitators

In 1967, segregationist lawyer Jack Kershaw swore out a warrant against George Ware, an organizer with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee. By the end of the week, a congressman was denouncing Ware on the house floor as an outside agitator. But what is an outside agitator? What do we mean when we blame unrest on these untrustworthy outsiders? Where does that idea come from? And is it even true? Sources & Further Reading: https://belonging.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/ARCHIVE/kerner_commission_full_report.pdf [https://belonging.berkeley.edu/sites/default/files/ARCHIVE/kerner_commission_full_report.pdf] https://www.africa.upenn.edu/Articles_Gen/Letter_Birmingham.html https://www.africa.upenn.edu/Articles_Gen/Letter_Birmingham.html [https://www.africa.upenn.edu/Articles_Gen/Letter_Birmingham.html] https://www.crmvet.org/docs/sv/670400_sncc_nyc-newsletter.pdf [https://www.crmvet.org/docs/sv/670400_sncc_nyc-newsletter.pdf] https://www.christcathedral.org/phase-to-history/st-anselms-liberation-school-and-the-long-hot-summer-of-1967/ [https://www.christcathedral.org/phase-to-history/st-anselms-liberation-school-and-the-long-hot-summer-of-1967/] https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/FSupp/274/538/1574803/ [https://law.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/FSupp/274/538/1574803/] https://www.phillytrib.com/obituaries/george-w-ware-jr-72-educator/article_0e1a1218-3c2b-51fa-b960-61094a1f6d98.html [https://www.phillytrib.com/obituaries/george-w-ware-jr-72-educator/article_0e1a1218-3c2b-51fa-b960-61094a1f6d98.html] https://digitalcollections.library.gsu.edu/digital/collection/GSB/id/10262/ [https://digitalcollections.library.gsu.edu/digital/collection/GSB/id/10262/] https://library.cqpress.com/cqalmanac/document.php?id=cqal67-1311343 [https://library.cqpress.com/cqalmanac/document.php?id=cqal67-1311343] https://www.nytimes.com/1967/08/05/archives/us-aides-in-visit-to-negro-school-view-a-drama-at-institution-cited.html [https://www.nytimes.com/1967/08/05/archives/us-aides-in-visit-to-negro-school-view-a-drama-at-institution-cited.html] https://www.nytimes.com/1967/08/12/archives/nashville-panel-suspends-school-liberation-classroom-also-ousted.html [https://www.nytimes.com/1967/08/12/archives/nashville-panel-suspends-school-liberation-classroom-also-ousted.html] https://www.nytimes.com/1967/08/09/archives/official-changes-testimony-on-antiwhite-school.html [https://www.nytimes.com/1967/08/09/archives/official-changes-testimony-on-antiwhite-school.html] https://www.nytimes.com/1967/08/30/archives/sedition-charges-dropped.html [https://www.nytimes.com/1967/08/30/archives/sedition-charges-dropped.html] https://www.wsmv.com/2025/02/25/former-nashville-assistant-police-chief-dies-while-custody-wifes-death/ [https://www.wsmv.com/2025/02/25/former-nashville-assistant-police-chief-dies-while-custody-wifes-death/] https://www.wkrn.com/news/local-news/wife-former-mnpd-assistant-police-chief-found-shot-to-death-rutherford-county/ [https://www.wkrn.com/news/local-news/wife-former-mnpd-assistant-police-chief-found-shot-to-death-rutherford-county/] https://www.usnews.com/news/national-news/articles/2017-07-12/race-troubles-109-us-cities-faced-violence-in-1967 [https://www.usnews.com/news/national-news/articles/2017-07-12/race-troubles-109-us-cities-faced-violence-in-1967] https://www.nybooks.com/online/2020/07/27/a-brief-history-of-dangerous-others/ [https://www.nybooks.com/online/2020/07/27/a-brief-history-of-dangerous-others/] https://dailynorthwestern.com/2020/11/12/audio/defining-safe-defining-the-outside-agitator/ [https://dailynorthwestern.com/2020/11/12/audio/defining-safe-defining-the-outside-agitator/] See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

In Loving Memory of Laura & Mike Sullivan

We lost one of the greats last month. Laura Sullivan was an antifascist researcher, a photographer, a journalist, a friend, a mother, and a mentor. She was a legend and we were lucky to have her while we did. You can make a donation to One People's Project, the antifascist organization Laura was involved in for more than two decades, here: https://onepeoplesproject.com/donate/ [https://onepeoplesproject.com/donate/] Daryle Lamont Jenkins' tribute to his longtime friends & collaborators, Laura & Mike Sullivan: https://idavox.com/index.php/2026/05/07/the-sullivans-much-love-and-rest-in-peace/ [https://idavox.com/index.php/2026/05/07/the-sullivans-much-love-and-rest-in-peace/] Abner Hauge's tribute to Laura & Mike: https://leftcoastrightwatch.org/articles/in-memoriam-laura-mike-sullivan/ [https://leftcoastrightwatch.org/articles/in-memoriam-laura-mike-sullivan/] Laura's Obituary: https://obituaries.carewellcremations.com/laura-sullivan [https://obituaries.carewellcremations.com/laura-sullivan]  Sources & Further Reading: https://www.huffpost.com/entry/jeffrey-clark-dc-neo-nazi-arrested_n_5beb99ffe4b0caeec2bf24e5 [https://www.huffpost.com/entry/jeffrey-clark-dc-neo-nazi-arrested_n_5beb99ffe4b0caeec2bf24e5] https://www.huffpost.com/entry/nazi-punch-antifa_n_59e13ae9e4b03a7be580ce6f [https://www.huffpost.com/entry/nazi-punch-antifa_n_59e13ae9e4b03a7be580ce6f]  https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/may/02/fbi-court-battle-identity-imf-protest-informants [https://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/may/02/fbi-court-battle-identity-imf-protest-informants] See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.