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Nottingham Race Riots (1958)

Sat Aug 23, 1958

Image: A black youth being restrained by police during the Nottingham Riots, 1958 [blackpast.org]

On this day in 1958, a race riot began in Nottingham, England after a West Indian man was seen chatting with a blonde woman in a pub, causing the racially mixed community to erupt in hours of violence which sent eight to the hospital.

The area had seen increased West Indian and Asian migration, leading to an increased and racialized competition for available jobs. As the post-World War II economic boom in Nottingham began to subside, anti-immigrant sentiment increased.

Eyewitness accounts on the exact trigger of the violence differ, but nearly all cite a West Indian man being seen enjoying a drink with a blonde British woman. The young man was assaulted, and soon a crowd of over 1,000 had gathered in the area.

The racial violence lasted for many hours, with white attackers being identified as "Teddy Boys". Eight people were taken to the hospital, with one man requiring 37 stitches following a wound to the throat.

Despite the racial character of the violence, government officials downplayed any role racism could have played in the incident. Chief Constable Athelstan Popkess dismissed claims that the rioting was caused by prejudice at the time, and a 1989 report from the Nottingham Constabulary blamed the violence on generic hooliganism.

• Date: 1958-08-23
• Learn More: www.blackpast.org, www.bbc.com.
• Tags: #Riots.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Salad Bowl Strike (1970)

Sun Aug 23, 1970

Image: Protesters during the Salad Bowl strike [Wikipedia]

On this day in 1970, the largest U.S. farm worker strike in history, known as the "Salad Bowl Strike", began when field workers, organized with César Chávez and the United Farm Workers (UFW), struck, doubling the price of lettuce and costing sellers $500,000 a day.

The UFW had just won the Delano Grape Strike, which had lasted an astonishing five years, winning contracts with dozens of grape growers that were the first of their kind in agricultural history.

The origins of the Salad Bowl Strike lay in a jurisdictional dispute with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, which had won the right to organize field workers after concluding a successful strike of drivers and packers in the lettuce producing sector in July.

The UFW strongly contested this claim, and, after negotiations broke down, between 5,000-7,000 field workers went on strike. The labor action was not just a strike, but also included mass pickets, boycotts, and secondary boycotts by the participants.

The price of lettuce almost doubled immediately, and the interruption to work cost lettuce growers approximately $500,000 a day. The strike was a bitter dispute which suffered violence and state repression. César Chávez, a leading labor organizer, was jailed after refusing to stop the picketing on court order. On November 4th, 1970 a UFW regional office was bombed.

The strike ended on March 26th, 1971 when the Teamsters and UFW signed a new jurisdictional agreement reaffirming the UFW's right to organize field workers, however jurisdictional disputes between the UFW and Teamsters continued for years afterward. In 1975, the California Agricultural Labor Relations Act (CALRA) became law, establishing the right to collective bargaining for farmworkers in that state, a first in U.S. history.

• Date: 1970-08-23
• Learn More: en.wikipedia.org, libraries.ucsd.edu, www.colorado.edu.
• Tags: #Labor.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Alexander Bogdanov (1873 - 1928)

Fri Aug 22, 1873

Alexander Bogdanov, born on this day in 1873, was a Russian scientist, philosopher, science fiction author, and socialist revolutionary who co-founded the Bolshevik faction of the Social Democratic Labor Party when it split with the Mensheviks in 1903.

Bogdanov was born as Aleksandr Malinovsky in Sokółka, modern day Poland, to a rural teacher's family. Expelled from Moscow State University, Bogdanov eventually graduated from the University of Kharkiv as a qualified medical doctor.

Around the same time, Bogdanov became a political prisoner and was arrested by the Tsar's police, spent six months in prison, and then exiled to Vologda. In 1903, Bogdanov played a key role in the formation and organization of the Bolshevik faction of the Russian Social Democratic Party.

In the following years, Bogdanov became a political rival of Vladimir Lenin. In 1909, Lenin published a scathing book of criticism of Bognadov's ideas (Materialism and Empiriocriticism), accusing him of philosophical idealism. Later that year, Bognadov was defeated in a Paris party conference and expelled from the Bolsheviks.

After the October Revolution, Bogdanov refused invitations to rejoin the party. In 1923, he was arrested by the GPU (Soviet secret police) for suspicion of involvement in the socialist opposition group "Workers' Truth", although he was released without charge.

Bognadov contributed to a wide variety of fields, including philosophy, creative writing, political economy, and a precursor to systems theory he called "tektology".

In 1928, Bogdanov died suddenly after taking an experimental blood transfusion from a student suffering from malaria and tuberculosis.

• Date: 1873-08-22
• Learn More: www.newworldencyclopedia.org, www.tandfonline.com, www.marxists.org.
• Tags: #Socialism, #Marxism, #Birthdays.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Sandinistas Capture National Palace (1978)

Tue Aug 22, 1978

On this day in 1978, the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) staged a massive kidnapping operation where they captured the National Palace and held more than 1,000 people hostage in exchange for money, the release of political prisoners, and the ability to publicize their cause.

In the 1970s, Nicaragua was rocked by political turmoil, with widespread riots and multiple anti-government general strikes, occurring in 1978. A revolutionary campaign to overthrow the government by the Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN) was also underway. Despite these efforts, the leader of Nicaragua, Anastasio Somoza, remained in power.

On August 22nd, 1978, with just 26 participants, the FSLN staged a massive kidnapping operation where they captured the National Palace.

Many of the rebels were quite young - Columbian socialist author Gabriel García Márquez wrote that, excluding the experienced guerilla leader Éden Pastora, the average age of the group was twenty. Three were just eighteen years old.

Led by Pastora, the Sandinistan forces captured the Palace while the legislature was in session, taking more than 1,000 hostages. The rebels demanded money, the release of Sandinistan prisoners, and, "a means of publicizing the Sandinista cause".

After two days, the government agreed to pay $500,000 and release certain prisoners, marking a major victory for the FSLN. Somoza was finally ousted by the FSLN in 1979.

• Date: 1978-08-22
• Learn More: en.wikipedia.org, www.washingtonpost.com, newleftreview.org.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

George Jackson Escape Attempt (1971)

Sat Aug 21, 1971

Image: A photo of George Jackson, unknown year

On this day in 1971, revolutionary George Jackson was shot dead while attempting to escape prison with a smuggled-in handgun. He alluded to the writing of Ho Chi Minh as he freed other prisoners: "Gentleman, the dragon has come!"

While serving a sentence for armed robbery in 1961, Jackson (1941 - 1971) became politically radicalized, stating "I met Marx, Lenin, Trotsky, Engels, and Mao when I entered prison and they redeemed me". He also co-founded the Marxist-Leninist Black Guerrilla Family with W.L. Nolen.

Jackson authored two texts while incarcerated - "Soledad Brother: The Prison Letters of George Jackson" (1970) and "Blood in My Eye" (1971).

On August 21st, 1971, Jackson attempted to escape prison. With a smuggled handgun, he took hostages and freed twenty-six prisoners at gunpoint. Before releasing them from their cells, he alluded to the writings of Ho Chi Minh, stating "This is it, gentleman, the dragon has come".

Three guards and two prisoners were murdered in the escape attempt, and Jackson himself was shot dead while attempting to leave the building. Two weeks after his escape attempt, the notorious Attica Prison Riots began.

"Settle your quarrels, come together, understand the reality of our situation, understand that fascism is already here, that people are already dying who could be saved, that generations more will live poor butchered half-lives if you fail to act. Do what must be done, discover your humanity and your love in revolution."

- George Jackson

• Date: 1971-08-21
• Learn More: www.sfgate.com, en.wikipedia.org, files.libcom.org, redyouthnwa.files.wordpress.com.
• Tags: #Marxism.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Camden 28 Raids Draft Office (1971)

Sat Aug 21, 1971

Image: Camden 28 members Gene Dixon (far right), Milo Billman, and Mike Giocondo march at a local rally in Camden. [zinnedproject.org]

On this day in 1971, the Camden 28, a group of Christian anti-war activists, broke into a draft board office and proceeded to destroy and bag up thousands of draft documents. The group had been infiltrated by the FBI and all were arrested.

The raid resulted in a high-profile criminal trial of the activists that was seen by many as a referendum on the Vietnam War and a successful use of jury nullification.

On August 21st, 1971, the activists broke into the draft board office and began destroying and bagging thousands of draft-related documents. A member of their group had become a Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) informant, however, and the FBI monitored the break-in, arresting everybody involved.

The 28 chose to be tried together, refusing an offered plea bargain for a single misdemeanor if the rest of the charges were dropped. Activist historian Howard Zinn testified at the trial as an expert on civil disobedience and recommended jury nullification.

On May 20th, 1973, the jury returned "not guilty" verdicts for all counts against all 28 defendants, acquitting them.

• Date: 1971-08-21
• Learn More: en.wikipedia.org, www.zinnedproject.org, www.youtube.com.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Anarchist Bank Robbery (1915)

Fri Aug 20, 1915

Image: William Juber, shown alongside a handwritten note visually describing him

On this day in 1915, three anarcho-communists entered the Home Savings Bank in San Francisco and committed an armed robbery, taking more than $2,400, reportedly to help the revolutionary movement in Russia. During the robbery, a gun battle ensued and one of the robbers was shot, however all three still managed to escape.

The three men - Gregory Chesalkin, Charles Boutoff (later thought to be an alias for Vladimir Osokin), and William Juber (shown) - were members of the Union of Russian Workers of the United States and Canada (UORW), an anarcho-communist federation founded in New York in 1908 that promoted armed warfare against the capitalist state.

On September 11th, police arrested William Juber after he sought treatment for a wound and were able to find Chesalkin's location. When they attempted to arrest him, Chesalkin initiated a shootout and died. Juber was sentenced to 35 years in prison.

Boutoff was never found, although evidence later surfaced that this may have been an alias for Vladimir Osokin, a Russian anarchist who was shot and killed by San Francisco police after he engaged in a shootout to resist arrest for passing counterfeit money.

While dying from his wounds, Osokin wrote an apologetic letter to his mother, as well as another statement that ended with "I am not a bandit, but an anarchist communist."

• Date: 1915-08-20
• Learn More: libcom.org, cdnc.ucr.edu.
• Tags: #Communism, #Anarchism.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Tyke the Elephant Escapes (1994)

Sat Aug 20, 1994

Image: Tyke, in circus dress, runs along the street while police officers in the background aim their weapons at her

On this day in 1994, Tyke, an abused circus elephant, killed her trainer and seriously injured her groomer during a performance, escaping into the streets of Honolulu, Hawaii. After thirty minutes of being pursued by police, she died after being shot 86-87 times and subsequently became an international symbol for animal rights.

Tyke had been captured as a baby in Mozambique in 1973 and was shipped to the United States to be used as a circus animal. She had been involved in had escaped twice prior to her killing on August 20th.

On August 20th, 1994, during a performance at Circus International in Honolulu, Hawaii, Tyke trampled and critically injured her groomer, Dallas Beckwith, throwing him around numerous times in the process. She also killed her trainer, Allen Campbell, when he attempted to save Beckwith, knocking him to the ground and crushing him to death under her trunk.

Tyke then escaped and police pursued her for a half an hour, riddling her with bullets. After being shot 86-87 times, Tyke finally collapsed from nerve damage and brain hemorrhages.

Following the incident, Tyke became a symbol for animal rights. Lawsuits were filed against the City of Honolulu, the State of Hawaii, the circus, and Tyke's owner, John Cuneo Jr. These suits were settled out of court.

Although no official ban on animal acts materialized at the arena where the incident occurred, no circus featuring exotic animals has performed at the Blaisdell Arena since Tyke's killing.

• Date: 1994-08-20
• Learn More: en.wikipedia.org, www.huffpost.com, tykeelephantoutlaw.com.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Iran coup d'état (1953)

Wed Aug 19, 1953

Image: Rioters run in the streets of Tehran in August 1953 [foreignpolicy.com]

On this day in 1953, the U.S. and British governments initiated a coup d'état against the democratically elected Prime Minister of Iran, Mohammad Mosaddegh. Mosaddegh had been preparing to nationalize Iran's British-owned oil fields.

Mosaddegh had sought to audit the documents of the Anglo-Iranian Oil Company (AIOC), later re-named British Petroleum, and to limit the company's control over Iranian oil reserves. When the AIOC refused to cooperate with the Iranian government, the parliament voted to nationalize Iran's oil industry and to expel foreign corporate representatives from the country.

In response, the British began a worldwide boycott of Iranian oil to pressure Iran economically and engaged in subterfuge to undermine Mosaddegh's government.

Judging Mosaddegh to be unreliable and fearing a communist takeover, Winston Churchill and the Eisenhower administration overthrew Iran's government. The coup action was also supported by the Iranian clergy, who opposed Mosaddegh's secularism.

The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) hired mobsters to stage pro-Shah riots and paid people to travel to Tehran and take over the streets of the city. Between 200 and 300 people were killed in the ensuing mayhem.

Mosaddegh was arrested, tried, and convicted of treason by the Shah's military court. Many of his supporters were imprisoned, several received the death penalty. Mosaddegh himself lived the rest of his life under house arrest, dying in 1967.

After the coup, the Shah ruled as a monarch for the next 26 years until he was overthrown in the Iranian Revolution in 1979.

• Date: 1953-08-19
• Learn More: en.wikipedia.org, libcom.org, www.democracynow.org, nsarchive2.gwu.edu.
• Tags: #Riots.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Amelia Boynton Robinson (1911 - 2015)

Fri Aug 18, 1911

Image: Amelia Boynton Robinson on February 21st, 2015 [Wikipedia]

Amelia Boynton Robinson, born on this day in 1911, was an American civil rights activist who played a key role in the 1965 Selma to Montgomery marches.

In 1964 and 1965, Boynton worked with Martin Luther King, Diane Nash, James Bevel, and others of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) to plan civil rights demonstrations. During the infamous "Bloody Sunday" attack on the Selma to Montgomery marchers, Boynton suffered throat burns from tear gas and was beaten unconscious by police on horseback.

Despite suffering this violence, Boynton participated in the next two marches. The third was successful, and reached Montgomery on March 24th with more than 25,000 participants.

"I was brought up by people who loved others. I love people. We had no animosity. We had no feeling that we hate anyone."

- Amelia Boynton Robinson

• Date: 1911-08-18
• Learn More: snccdigital.org, www.blackpast.org, en.wikipedia.org.
• Tags: #Civil Rights, #Birthdays.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Demerara Rebellion (1823)

Mon Aug 18, 1823

Image: Slave insurrection in Demerara colony, August 18th, 1823, Bachelor's Adventure, Plate 4, (Joshua Bryant, 1823) [blackpast.org]

On this day in 1823, more than 10,000 enslaved Guyanese people rose up against their oppressors. Rebels held whites hostage to make demands, but generally abhorred violence. The state declared martial law, killing hundreds of people and displaying their corpses as a warning to the survivors.

The revolt took place in modern day Guyana, then the British colony of Demerara-Essequibo. The colony's primary export was sugar, and enslaved black people drastically outnumbered other groups on the island. The year of the uprising, the population consisted of approximately 2,500 whites, 2,500 freed black people, and 77,000 slaves.

The rebellion was linked to the church of John Smith, a British missionary. One of the leaders of the uprising was Jack Gladstone, a cooper on the plantation where the rebellion started and the son of Quamina, a prominent member of Smith's church.

Upon learning of his son's plans, Quamina opposed the revolt, urging the planners to initiate a strike instead, and to not use violence. Quamina also informed John Smith of the plans, which Smith declined to disclose to the authorities.

On August 18th, 1823, more than 10,000 enslaved people rose up against their masters to demand better treatment. Rebels generally abhorred violence, choosing instead to hold whites hostage in their homes and stockades as leverage with which to make their demands. Despite the large scale of the revolt, some of the enslaved stayed loyal to their masters and defended their plantations.

The Governor immediately declared martial law, and, when a crowd of 2,000 rebels refused to disperse on order of a colonial militia, soldiers fired into the crowd, killing hundreds of people. Within two days, the rebellion was suppressed.

In the weeks following the suppression of uprising, the colonizers executed dozens of slaves, displaying the dismembered heads of those killed as a means of intimidation.

Jack Gladstone was sold and deported to St. Lucia, while Quamina was hunted down and killed on September 23rd. John Smith was arrested for not informing the government of the plans of rebellion and died in prison. Smith's death made him a martyr within the British abolitionist movement.

Under pressure from London, the Demerara Court of Policy passed various reforms for slave labor in 1825, institutionalizing working hours and some civil rights for the enslaved.

In 1833, the British government passed the Slavery Abolition Act, beginning a process of gradual abolition throughout its colonies.

• Date: 1823-08-18
• Learn More: www.blackpast.org, en.wikipedia.org.
• Tags: #Colonialism.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org

Marcus Garvey (1887 - 1940)

Wed Aug 17, 1887

Marcus Garvey, born on this day in 1887, was a Jamaican political activist, author, and orator who became one of the most influential black nationalist and Pan-Africanist leaders of the 20th century.

Garvey was born to a moderately prosperous Afro-Jamaican family in Saint Ann's Bay, Jamaica, and apprenticed into the print trade as a teenager. Working in Kingston, he became involved in trade unionism before living briefly in Costa Rica, Panama, and England.

Greatly influenced by Booker T. Washington's autobiography "Up From Slavery", Garvey began to support economic separatism and social segregation. In 1914, he founded the Universal Negro Improvement Association and African Communities League (UNIA-ACL, commonly known as UNIA), through which he declared himself Provisional President of Africa. Ideologically a black nationalist and Pan-Africanist, his ideas came to be known as "Garveyism".

Garvey launched various businesses in the U.S., including the Negro Factories Corporation and Negro World newspaper. In 1919, he became President of the Black Star Line shipping and passenger company, designed to forge a link between North America and Africa and facilitate African-American migration to Liberia.

In 1923, Garvey was convicted of mail fraud for selling the company's stock and imprisoned in the U.S. Penitentiary Atlanta for nearly two years. Garvey blamed Jewish people for his sentence, claiming that they were prejudiced against him because of his links to the Ku Klux Klan, whom he had collaborated with on the basis of their shared goal of racial separatism.

Garvey's influence has been repeatedly emphasized by black intellectuals - Kwame Nkrumah cited "The Philosophy and Opinions of Marcus Garvey" as the text that most inspired him, American writer Ta-Nehisi Coates described Garvey as the "patron saint" of the black nationalist movement, and scholar Molefi Kete Asante included Garvey on his list of 100 Greatest African Americans.

Those who dissented from this view include W.E.B. Du Bois, who, after hearing of Garvey's meeting with the KKK, called him the greatest enemy of the Negro race, and radical labor organizer A. Philip Randolph, who stated that Garvey and Garveyism should be purged from American soil.

Garvey spent his last years in Jamaica trying to revive his political fortunes. He died in London, England in 1940.

"A people without the knowledge of their past history, origin and culture is like a tree without roots."

- Marcus Garvey

• Date: 1887-08-17
• Learn More: www.blackpast.org, www.pbs.org, www.jpanafrican.org, en.wikipedia.org.
• Tags: #Labor, #Pan-Africanism, #Birthdays.
• Source: www.apeoplescalendar.org