Today In Black History: Willie James Howard
Before Emmitt Till, Willie Howard was murdered by white supremacists for sending a Christmas card to a white girl.
Issue #687 Today In Black History, Wednesday, July 31, 2024
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Today’s Black History WOW!
Willie James Howard was born in Live Oak, Florida on July 13, 1928. In December 1943, the 16-year-old Black boy made the fatal mistake of sending a letter and a Christmas card to a white girl, Cynthia Goff, his friend who he thought he liked. This act of friendship was viewed as a grave offense by the girl's father, Mr. Goff, who was a prominent businessman in the community.
On January 2, 1944, Mr. Goff, accompanied by two other men, went to the Howard home, dragged Willie and his father, James, out of their house, and took them to the Suwannee River. There, they bound Willie's hands and feet and forced his father to watch as they threw him into the river, where he drowned.
This horrific event occurred just eleven years before the infamous murder of Emmett Till in Mississippi, which sparked national outrage and helped galvanize the Civil Rights Movement. The murder of Willie James Howard, however, remained largely unknown outside of Florida, despite its similar themes of racial violence and terror.
The incident was reported in the local press, but it was largely downplayed, and no one was ever charged or prosecuted for the crime. Willie's father, James, was forced to flee the area to avoid further violence, leaving behind his family and home.
The story of Willie James Howard serves as a painful reminder of the long history of racial violence and terror that has been perpetrated against African Americans in the United States, particularly in the South. It also highlights the importance of remembering and honoring the victims of these crimes, and the need to continue fighting for justice and equality.
Today In Black History
In 1874, Rev. Dr. Patrick Francis Healy, S.J., the first Black man to receive a Ph.D., was inaugurated as president of Georgetown University, the oldest Catholic university in America, becoming the first Black person to head a predominantly white college or university.
In 1981, Attorney Arnette R. Hubbard was installed as the first woman president of the National Bar Association, the advocacy organization for Black lawyers who were denied membership in the American Bar Association.
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