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You Should Know About The Red Summer of 1919
Because 100 years later, America still struggles to tell the whole truth about its turbulent past.
I’ve felt chills go down my spine so many times since I’ve become a serious student of American history. Our nation’s past is complicated. It is many layers deep but I choose not to gloss over them.
It wasn’t until I started writing a book that I had the need to really understand. I have to put my writing in context and it's important for me to get into the minds of those people whose lives I’m laying bare. People like my parents and grandparents. They would want me to get this right.
In my quest for answers from the past, I’ve found stories that are enchantingly beautiful and extremely disturbing.
However, what bothers me most is discovering that history has gatekeepers — those who distort facts, whether unknowingly or with intent. All too often these distortions create a narrative that misrepresents, marginalizes and even excludes African Americans.
I was born and raised in Washington, DC and I just recently learned there was a “race riot” that occurred here in 1919. At least that’s how many writers have labeled it. I’d never heard about this incident so naturally, I was very curious.
