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Meet Jim Crow! Print E-mail
Written by Lee Chavous   
Monday, 09 December 2019 20:21

Land of the Free

33rd President Harry S. Truman became the first president to speak directly with the NAACP.. He was also the first president to speak of the equality of Black Americans and denounce discrimination and violence against them.  His actions helped increase awareness among White Americans of the harm caused by racial discrimination.

After World War II ended in 1945, there was an increase in civil rights activities in the Black community with a sharp focus on removing the Jim Crow obstacles that made voting difficult for them.  President Truman urged Congress to abolish the poll tax and enforce fair voting and hiring practices.

Black men had fought in all of the major wars for America, but when they returned home, they still faced terrible treatment because of their skin color.  In 1948, President Truman issued Executive Order 9981 which ended racial discrimination in the military.

President Truman's presidency helped raise the hopes of Black Americans that they could also share the "American dream."  His actions provided a major push toward ending Jim Crow.

Albert Einstein was known worldwide as a great scientist and an extremely smart person.  His genius-level research changed man's approach to science.  But, he also was a man who used his celebrity status to speak out strongly against the bad treatment of Black Americans during Jim Crow.  He was also a member of the NAACP.

Speaking at a Black college graduation ceremony in 1946 he stated, "There is a separation of colored people from White people in the United States."  "That separation is not a disease of colored people.  It is a disease of White people.  I do not intend to be quiet about it."

[The text above is an excerpt of the latest Lee Chavous'book entitled Meet Jim Crow!  This book was written this year in the memory of the late prominent columnist (for many publications including ours) and lawyer Kam Williams.  To know more about the author Chavous, you can read this interview done with him in the past http://www.megadiversities.com/entrevues/359-lee.html].