@eddsmitty.bsky.socialADDENDUM:
Over the years, this iconic photo was said to be Louise Jenkins Meriweather being unbothered and smoking at a protest. Although I'm sure that Meriwether would have stood her ground—it's not her.
I researched it and the woman remains unidentified.
#KeepItWoke
#DedicatedToTam✡️🕊
@eddsmitty.bsky.socialFirst Book Prize, which continues to elevate debut women and nonbinary writers of color. A true literary giant!
She left behind more than books.
She left a record of Black life told on Black terms.
Remember her.📚🙏🏽❤️
#KeepItWoke
#DedicatedToTam✡️🕊
@eddsmitty.bsky.socialAn official investigation ruled Officer Calvert’s fatal shot a "justifiable homicide." No officers were charged. The ruling left deep scars in Tampa's Black community that lingered for generations.
Rest in power, Martin Chambers. You didn't deserve this.😪🙏🏽🕊
#KeepItWoke
#DedicatedToTam✡️🕊
@eddsmitty.bsky.socialToday, Cairo’s population is under 1,700 residents. Once majority-White in the 1960s, the town’s demographics inverted following the unrest.
Cairo is approximately 75.7% Black and 20.6% White.
Racism killed this town.😔
#KeepItWoke
#DedicatedToTam✡️🕊
@eddsmitty.bsky.socialHowever, that would not be the end of the racial tension in Cairo—nor the last lynching. Cairo has always been a hotbed of racism.
This coming Sunday, I will post a thread on a 1967 lynching that changed Cairo forever.
Stay tuned, friends.
#KeepItWoke
#DedicatedToTam✡️🕊
@eddsmitty.bsky.socialIn the 1950s, a similar repatriation drive took place called "Operation Wetback", also driven by fear.
Fact is, migrants contribute billions to the US economy annually and commit less crime than U.S. citizens.
It's a true story.
Come on, America. Do better.🙏🏽
@eddsmitty.bsky.socialADDENDUM:
This is of course "⚠️WOKE CONTENT⚠️™️", my friends. In my haste to get the thread together—I accidently left out my familiar thread header.
Anyway—here is a link to a virtual tour of the Forten Family museum exhibit—enjoy!
#KeepItWoke
#DedicatedToTam✡️🕊
@eddsmitty.bsky.socialthe Philadelphia Female Anti-Slavery Society in 1833, continuing a generation-spanning legacy of leadership. James Forten passed away on March 4 1842. He proved that business success and moral purpose go hand in hand.
#KeepItWoke
#DedicatedToTam✡️🕊
@eddsmitty.bsky.socialThe families who fled lost their land and generational wealth forever. Catcher became an all-white "sundown town" for decades.
Do you see the pattern?
History often forgets these events, but remembering the truth of 1923 is essential.
#KeepItWoke
#DedicatedToTam✡️🕊
@eddsmitty.bsky.socialTam was a soul balm.❤️ #DedicatedToTam✡️🕊
@eddsmitty.bsky.socialI can tell you that she was a great friend and mentor—but the things she discussed about her personal life with me will remain just that—personal. This is out of respect for her and her family. I hope you understand. If you have an X account, you can see her posts @Tam_Resist. #DedicatedToTam✡️
@eddsmitty.bsky.socialThe lesson, my friends:
White supremacist terrorism was not confined to the South.
Extremist groups can infiltrate institutions and Northern racial violence has often been erased from public memory—all by design.
True story.
#KeepItWoke
#DedicatedToTam✡️🕊
@eddsmitty.bsky.socialAttica reshaped the national conversation on prisons, racism, and state violence.
The leaders — Barkley, Big Black, Clark, Melville, Blyden, Al‑Jundi — became symbols of resistance. Barkley's message still echoes:
“We are men. We are not beasts.”✊🏾✊🏽✊🏿✊🏻
#KeepItWoke
#DedicatedtoTam✡️🕊
@eddsmitty.bsky.socialRemember the jealousy of racist White men.
Remember Fermin Tobera.🙏🏽
Remember the Filipino workers who survived.
Remember the communities who rebuilt.
And remember that history doesn’t stay in the past — it echoes.
#KeepItWoke
#DedicatedToTam✡️🕊