Milestone Moment --- On this date on May 19, 1936, African Americans took to the streets of Harlem to protest Italys occupation of Ethiopia. The New York Times reported that after the close of a meeting of Ethiopian sympathizers, civil disorder erupted, involving some 400 Blacks rioting over the treatment of Ethiopia by Western Powers; there were no serious property damages or death. John Hope Franklin, noted historian, states in his book From Slavery to Freedom that the Ethiopian episode was a major motivation for Black Americans to lose their provincialism; from that time into the start of World War II, Blacks in the United States remain au courant of world affairs. (Undated photo of African Americans enlisting to join Ethiopian army . Although thousands signed up , the US government enacted a law making it a crime for American citizens to participate in either side of the conflict.)
Posted on: Mon, 19 May 2014 08:44:38 +0000