Episode 5

What's Up With (Race) Riots?, Part II: Race War to Rodney King

In January 2021, the question still persists, why do race riots occur and what effect do they have? And now there is the added question of does the answer differ if these are Black-initiated versus White-initiated riots?

These are the driving questions of part two of examining the history of American race riots.

00:37 - Race War and the Red Summer (1898-1921). I open by clarifying the definition of a race riot and the 4 perceived threats to White power behind the 26 (listed below) race riots of the Red Summer.

06:12 - Fighting Fascism at Home and Abroad (the 40s). World War 2 saw White-initiated riots for many of the same reasons as the race war era, but also the first modern, Black-initiated race riots, and Civil Rights legislation.

10:56 - The Turbulent Sixties. An era of completely modern race rioting. There were hundreds of race riots in 67 and 68 which garnered both government attention and aggressive policing.

15:10 - The Rodney Riot/The LA Riot. Jahne returns as we discuss the circumstances around the Rodney King riots. In many ways, the claims that some of the rioters made about justice sound a lot like vigilantism.

The 26 race riots of the Red Summer according to Race Riots and Resistance by Jan Voogd:

1. Millen, Georgia, Apr 13

2. Charleston, South Carolina, May 10

3. Milan, Georgia, May 25

4. New London, Connecticut, Jun 13

5. Bisbee, Arizona, Jul 3

6. Longview, Texas, Jul 10

7. Port Arthur, Texas, Jul 15

8. Washington, DC, Jul 19-23

9. Norfolk, Virginia, Jul 21

10. Chicago, Illinois, Jul 27- Aug 3

11. Syracuse, New York, Jul 31