The Elaine Race ‘Riot’ of 1919
By First • Jun 27th, 2008 • Category: LiteratureIn 1919 West Helena, Arkansas a group of black sharecroppers met to discuss unionising. This provocation ended with a riot - really, a massacre - that led 4 whites and 100 blacks dead. And how did authorities respond? 300 blacks were jailed, 12 of whom were executed in trials lasting one hour or more.
