The Montgomery Brawl and Other Rebellions in 'Black August'

The first Africans were brought to Jamestown, Virginia to be enslaved.

Born into slavery, Gabriel Prosser was a blacksmith at a plantation in Henrico County, Va. On This day, he and hundreds of others planned a slave rebellion to free themselves from captivity. However, before it happened, their plans were leaked, and Prossor was executed along with many others.

Nat Turner’s slave rebellion in Southampton, Virginia began. He believed that he was meant to free Black from enslavement and as a result, Turner and his followers rebelled against their slaveowners until authorities ended the uprising.

Delegates from across the country met in Cleveland, Ohio for the National Emigration Convention of the Colored People. Organized by Martin R. Delany, the convention was meant for people to discuss a plan for African Americans to emigrate from the United States to the West Indies.

Political activist Marcus Garvey was born in Jamaica. He was the founder of the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA), whose goal was to achieve Black nationalism. He always encouraged Black people in the United States to be proud of their ancestry and identity.

This is when Marcus Garvey founded the UNIA, whose goal was to form an independent Black nation in Africa, among other things.

Activist Fred Hampton was born in Chicago, Ill. At the age of 20, he joined the Black Panther Party and quickly rose to one of its most notable and powerful leaders. He eventually became the deputy chairman of the Illinois chapter of the Black Panther Party and organized many events within the community.

This is when the March on Washington began, where more than 250,000 protested the capitol to demand civil rights for Black people in the country, including fair wages, economic justice, and an end to segregation.

The Philadelphia race riots started in North Philly as Black residents protested over the treatment of local police. It was one of the first race riots during the Civil Rights era.

The Watts riot began in South Central Los Angeles where Black people in the community fought to end injustice by police and discrimination in employment, education, and housing.

Amid the Civil Rights Movement, African-American people participated in the Waukegan riot in a suburb north of Chicago. The conflict was meant to fight against police brutality by local authorities.

Large riots also occurred in Lansing, Mich. as Black residents protested police brutality.

The summer of 1967 was filled with Black people rioting across the country in cities such as Buffalo, Tampa, and Cincinnati. But in August 1967, the city of Milwaukee joined in their violent unrest.

Race riots began in New Haven, Conn. after a white restaurant owner shot a Puerto Rican man who approached him with a knife. It led to four days of rioting within the city with people fighting discrimination in housing and employment.

Jonathan Peter Jackson, George’s younger brother, was killed during his armed invasion of the Marin County courthouse in California as a San Quentin inmate was on trial. He was 17.

George Jackson was a member of the Black Panther who was killed in an attempt to free his fellow inmates. His death sparked the creation of Black August. While in prison, he founded the Black Guerilla Family, where he spread his revolutionary thoughts and teachings.

Residents in Ferguson started protesting after the fatal shooting of Michael Brown by local police. He was 18 years old. The shooting was caught on camera and it led to unrest not only in the community but all over the country.

There’s not too much to say about this one. Althought it’s been less than a week, the Montgomery brawl has already become the stuff of legend. As the Boat captain for a riverboat company was protecting himself against a group of white people, nearly all Black people in range came to protect and fight with him, leading to an all-out brawl.