Untold Stories Collection

The Elaine Massacre of 1919, a tragic event during the Red Summer, remains a stark reminder of racial violence and injustice in America's history. Occurring in Phillips County, Arkansas, the massacre unfolded on the night of September 30, 1919, during a meeting of the Progressive Farmers and Household Union of America, primarily attended by African American sharecroppers from local plantations.

Tensions escalated when three white men approached the church where the meeting was held and confronted the African American guards stationed there. A shootout ensued, resulting in the death of a security officer and injury to a deputy sheriff. The next day, a white mob, numbering up to 1000 armed men from surrounding counties and even neighboring states like Mississippi and Tennessee, descended upon the area. Fueled by fear of a supposed black insurrection, they indiscriminately attacked African American residents, killing over 200 people and injuring many more. Homes were ransacked, and widespread terror gripped the community.

The response to the massacre further compounded the tragedy. Local newspapers exacerbated tensions by falsely reporting planned uprisings by the African American community. On October 2, 1919, U.S. Army troops intervened in Elaine, leading to the dispersal of the white mobs. However, the federal troops also detained several hundred African Americans in temporary stockades under brutal conditions, where reports of torture and mistreatment surfaced.

In the aftermath, racial injustice continued as 122 African Americans were indicted by the Phillips County grand jury, mostly for crimes unrelated to the riots, while no white individuals faced charges. The legal battle was fierce, with Scipio Africanus Jones, a prominent black attorney, leading efforts alongside the NAACP and civil rights groups to secure justice for the wrongly accused. The "Elaine Twelve," initially convicted and sentenced to death, eventually saw retrials and were released by January 14, 1925, marking a significant but painfully belated step toward justice.

The Elaine Massacre stands as a harrowing chapter in America's history of racial violence and systemic injustice. It underscores the enduring struggle for equality and the ongoing fight against racial discrimination and violence in the United States.