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by David L. Payne (Author)
The period between January through November 1919 was defined by violence and prolonged rioting throughout the United States between Black and whites. During WWI, Black men heeded President Wilson's call to make the world safe for democracy and readily joined the military. Upon returning home, after the war, Black veteran came back to a country that recognized neither their service nor their humanity. However, returning from battle these Black veterans were not inclined to accept a white double standard lying down. Conversely, white Americans viewed returning Black soldiers as a threat because of their military service and exposure to new ideas about race and equality. Whites, especially southerners, were convinced talk of civil rights was not only a threat to white privilege but to America's national security as well. Confronting a national epidemic of white resistance and mob violence, Blacks defended themselves and fought back. In describing the lynching's, murders and burning of Blacks alive, the term "Red Summer" was coined by famed author, diplomat and civil rights leader, James Weldon Johnson.
