Lester Craven
@goodtrouble64.bsky.social
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania 🇹🇿
The story of the 1874 election day massacre in Eufaula, Alabama, has been intentionally hidden and remains untaught in Alabama schools today. #BlackSky lestercraven.substack.com/p/forgotten-...
Forgotten Violent Black Voter Suppression in Alabama
On election day in 1874, a mob of White men attacked and killed Black voters, suppressing Black voting in Barbour County for generations.
lestercraven.substack.com
January 26, 2026 at 7:52 AM
The story of the 1874 election day massacre in Eufaula, Alabama, has been intentionally hidden and remains untaught in Alabama schools today. #BlackSky lestercraven.substack.com/p/forgotten-...
Known as the Harlem of the South, The Scrub was the home of Tampa's Black community until freeway construction obliterated it. #BlackSky lestercraven.substack.com/p/freeway-co...
Freeway Construction Destroys Black Community in Tampa
The Scrub was the heart of the Black community in Tampa, Florida until it was paved over by freeways.
lestercraven.substack.com
January 22, 2026 at 8:39 AM
Known as the Harlem of the South, The Scrub was the home of Tampa's Black community until freeway construction obliterated it. #BlackSky lestercraven.substack.com/p/freeway-co...
White leaders in Birmingham, Alabama thought it was better for their citizens to have no public facilities than to have to share them with Black people. #BlackSky lestercraven.substack.com/p/birmingham...
Birmingham Closed Parks and Pools to Prevent Integration
After a federal court ruled that racially segregated public facilities were unconstitutional, the city closed them to everyone.
lestercraven.substack.com
January 19, 2026 at 7:15 AM
White leaders in Birmingham, Alabama thought it was better for their citizens to have no public facilities than to have to share them with Black people. #BlackSky lestercraven.substack.com/p/birmingham...
Activists in 2020 revealed the long-hidden history of the murder of a small town’s first Black commissioner and constable. #BlackSky lestercraven.substack.com/p/town-commi...
Town Commissioner Lynched for Being Black
Becoming the first Black town commissioner of Graham, North Carolina, got Wyatt Outlaw lynched.
lestercraven.substack.com
January 15, 2026 at 7:06 AM
Activists in 2020 revealed the long-hidden history of the murder of a small town’s first Black commissioner and constable. #BlackSky lestercraven.substack.com/p/town-commi...
To keep a negative portrayal of Atlanta from spreading, city leaders ordered the removal of information about a massacre of Black Americans by a mob of White men. #BlackSky lestercraven.substack.com/p/atlanta-ma...
Atlanta Massacre History Hidden for a Century
White politicians rewrote Atlanta‘s history to keep the world from knowing Black people were massacred there in 1906.
lestercraven.substack.com
January 12, 2026 at 6:26 AM
To keep a negative portrayal of Atlanta from spreading, city leaders ordered the removal of information about a massacre of Black Americans by a mob of White men. #BlackSky lestercraven.substack.com/p/atlanta-ma...
The economic and political success of African Americans in North Carolina triggered a viciously violent backlash from Whites, the effects of which would last decades. #BlackSky lestercraven.substack.com/p/the-only-s...
The Only Successful Coup in US History
The 1898 coup in Wilmington, North Carolina, contributed to keeping Blacks out of politics in the state for nearly a century.
lestercraven.substack.com
January 8, 2026 at 7:56 AM
The economic and political success of African Americans in North Carolina triggered a viciously violent backlash from Whites, the effects of which would last decades. #BlackSky lestercraven.substack.com/p/the-only-s...
After Georgia state representative Denmark Groover created Georgia’s runoff election system that disadvantaged Black candidates, he admitted, “If you want to establish if I was racially prejudiced, I was.” #BlackSky lestercraven.substack.com/p/georgia-ru...
Georgia Runoff Elections Keep Blacks Out of Office
Georgia created runoff elections to prevent Black candidates from winning elections when running against two or more White candidates.
lestercraven.substack.com
January 5, 2026 at 9:00 AM
After Georgia state representative Denmark Groover created Georgia’s runoff election system that disadvantaged Black candidates, he admitted, “If you want to establish if I was racially prejudiced, I was.” #BlackSky lestercraven.substack.com/p/georgia-ru...
A friend shares the story of how her family learned after Grandpa died that he’d been in the KKK. #BlackSky lestercraven.substack.com/p/we-all-inh...
We All Inherit the Past
No matter how hard you try to forget the past, it still shapes the present.
lestercraven.substack.com
January 1, 2026 at 6:32 AM
A friend shares the story of how her family learned after Grandpa died that he’d been in the KKK. #BlackSky lestercraven.substack.com/p/we-all-inh...
Targeted marketing has had a greater impact on who consumes Coke and Pepsi than the taste of the colas themselves. #BlackSky lestercraven.substack.com/p/racialized...
Racialized Marketing Differentiated Coke From Pepsi
Racial differences in cola consumption have less to do with the way the drinks taste and more to do with the images associated with their brands.
lestercraven.substack.com
December 29, 2025 at 4:48 AM
Targeted marketing has had a greater impact on who consumes Coke and Pepsi than the taste of the colas themselves. #BlackSky lestercraven.substack.com/p/racialized...
For decades, everyone noticed that photos of Black people were of lower quality than photos of White people, but it was because the film made them look that way. #BlackSky lestercraven.substack.com/p/color-phot...
Color Photography Was Designed for White People
The standardization of color photography on light-colored skin resulted in decades of Black people being depicted as inferior.
lestercraven.substack.com
December 24, 2025 at 7:37 AM
For decades, everyone noticed that photos of Black people were of lower quality than photos of White people, but it was because the film made them look that way. #BlackSky lestercraven.substack.com/p/color-phot...
Black midwives, who for hundreds of years had successfully delivered both White and Black babies, were deemed unnecessary after the Civil War when White men decided that they wanted to deliver babies, at least the White ones. #BlackSky lestercraven.substack.com/p/black-midw...
Black Midwives Were Essential to America’s Birth
For 250 years, Black midwives delivered nearly all babies born in the US, both Black and White.
lestercraven.substack.com
December 22, 2025 at 7:16 AM
Black midwives, who for hundreds of years had successfully delivered both White and Black babies, were deemed unnecessary after the Civil War when White men decided that they wanted to deliver babies, at least the White ones. #BlackSky lestercraven.substack.com/p/black-midw...
In the early 20th century, state governments saw lynch mobs as a direct threat to their authority, so they convinced the mob that the state could execute Blacks just as effectively. #BlackSky lestercraven.substack.com/p/only-black...
Only Black Men Have Been Executed for Rape
In the US, Black men accused of raping White women faced execution, yet White men raped Black women with impunity.
lestercraven.substack.com
December 18, 2025 at 7:07 AM
In the early 20th century, state governments saw lynch mobs as a direct threat to their authority, so they convinced the mob that the state could execute Blacks just as effectively. #BlackSky lestercraven.substack.com/p/only-black...
Diahann Carroll was a history maker, a captivating performer, and a selfless advocate for people. #BlackSky lestercraven.substack.com/p/diahann-ca...
Diahann Carroll: Elegant, Sophisticated, Trailblazer
The pioneering actress created opportunities where none existed and showed how to exceed the limited expectations of society.
lestercraven.substack.com
December 15, 2025 at 7:06 AM
Diahann Carroll was a history maker, a captivating performer, and a selfless advocate for people. #BlackSky lestercraven.substack.com/p/diahann-ca...
Descendants of the last enslaved Africans brought to America are still living in a community in Mobile, Alabama. #BlackSky lestercraven.substack.com/p/banning-sl...
Banning Slave Importation Increased Demand for Slaves
Fifty years after Congress banned the legal importation of slaves, the trafficking of enslaved Africans continued illegally.
lestercraven.substack.com
December 11, 2025 at 7:07 AM
Descendants of the last enslaved Africans brought to America are still living in a community in Mobile, Alabama. #BlackSky lestercraven.substack.com/p/banning-sl...
Past government economic policies were justified in part by the expertise of Milton Friedman, but he provided no evidence to support his expertise regarding racial discrimination in the marketplace. #BlackSky lestercraven.substack.com/p/influentia...
Influential Economist Helped Create, Justify Institutional Racism
Despite his failure to provide any supporting evidence, Milton Friedman’s opinions bolstered economic ideas that perpetuated institutional racism.
lestercraven.substack.com
December 8, 2025 at 7:05 AM
Past government economic policies were justified in part by the expertise of Milton Friedman, but he provided no evidence to support his expertise regarding racial discrimination in the marketplace. #BlackSky lestercraven.substack.com/p/influentia...
The colonists knew they had to suppress the truth of how Black slaves successfully fought for their liberty in Haiti to keep slaves in the US from believing that they could do the same. #BlackSky lestercraven.substack.com/p/haitis-ind...
Haiti’s Independence Inspired American Slave Revolts
The story of slaves in Haiti fighting successfully for their freedom and independence inspired slaves in America to do the same.
lestercraven.substack.com
December 4, 2025 at 7:09 AM
The colonists knew they had to suppress the truth of how Black slaves successfully fought for their liberty in Haiti to keep slaves in the US from believing that they could do the same. #BlackSky lestercraven.substack.com/p/haitis-ind...
“If you teach that ni**er how to read, there would be no keeping him. It would forever unfit him to be a slave. He would at once become unmanageable, and of no value to his master.” – Frederick Douglass quoting his slavemaster (1845) #BlackSky lestercraven.substack.com/p/educated-s...
Educated Slave Leads Large Colonial America Rebellion
The South Carolina government blamed a 1739 slave revolt on Spain for issuing a proclamation saying that slaves could be free if they came to Florida.
lestercraven.substack.com
December 1, 2025 at 7:15 AM
“If you teach that ni**er how to read, there would be no keeping him. It would forever unfit him to be a slave. He would at once become unmanageable, and of no value to his master.” – Frederick Douglass quoting his slavemaster (1845) #BlackSky lestercraven.substack.com/p/educated-s...
"In playing with these toys, White children reenacted the roles of slave masters who forced African Americans to perform for Whites' enjoyment." - Kristina DuRocher, "Raising Racists: The Socialization of White Children in the Jim Crow South" #BlackSky substack.com/home/post/p-...
Racist Toys Normalized White Supremacy for Children
Generations of American children were given toys to reenact and reinforce the society they observed.
substack.com
November 28, 2025 at 7:00 AM
"In playing with these toys, White children reenacted the roles of slave masters who forced African Americans to perform for Whites' enjoyment." - Kristina DuRocher, "Raising Racists: The Socialization of White Children in the Jim Crow South" #BlackSky substack.com/home/post/p-...
Houston police used peaceful protests of a hazardous waste site in a Black neighborhood as a pretext to raid an HBCU in 1967. #BlackSky lestercraven.substack.com/p/police-sho...
Police Shoot Up HBCU After Peaceful Protest
Houston police raided Texas Southern University in 1967 following a peaceful protest at a hazardous waste site across town.
lestercraven.substack.com
November 27, 2025 at 7:40 AM
Houston police used peaceful protests of a hazardous waste site in a Black neighborhood as a pretext to raid an HBCU in 1967. #BlackSky lestercraven.substack.com/p/police-sho...
When people say Blacks make up a disproportionate portion of the prison population, it's largely because the system convicts Blacks unfairly. #BlackSky lestercraven.substack.com/p/louisiana-...
Louisiana Convicted Blacks With Nonunanimous Jury Decisions
Since 1880, the Louisiana constitution instituted nonunanimous jury convictions to increase the Black prison population.
lestercraven.substack.com
November 24, 2025 at 7:10 AM
When people say Blacks make up a disproportionate portion of the prison population, it's largely because the system convicts Blacks unfairly. #BlackSky lestercraven.substack.com/p/louisiana-...
The South African government was increasingly using violence to put down Black citizens’ cries for freedom when Reagan became US president and, in a reversal of US policy, began supporting White supremacy in South Africa. #BlackSky lestercraven.substack.com/p/archbishop...
Archbishop Tutu Calls Reagan’s Apartheid Policies “Immoral”
President Reagan’s anti-Black domestic policies were reflected in his anti-Black foreign policies.
lestercraven.substack.com
November 20, 2025 at 7:39 AM
The South African government was increasingly using violence to put down Black citizens’ cries for freedom when Reagan became US president and, in a reversal of US policy, began supporting White supremacy in South Africa. #BlackSky lestercraven.substack.com/p/archbishop...
For over fifty years, the FBI aggressively used surveillance and disinformation in response to the threat of Black Americans becoming equal to White Americans. #BlackSky lestercraven.substack.com/p/fbi-spent-...
FBI Spent Decades Sabotaging the Civil Rights Movement
Under COINTELPRO, the FBI conducted secret operations to undermine the effort to obtain equal rights for Black Americans.
lestercraven.substack.com
November 17, 2025 at 8:26 AM
For over fifty years, the FBI aggressively used surveillance and disinformation in response to the threat of Black Americans becoming equal to White Americans. #BlackSky lestercraven.substack.com/p/fbi-spent-...
For over 150 years, the federal government has systematically prevented Black American farmers from owning farmland. #BlackSky lestercraven.substack.com/p/federal-go...
Federal Government Prevented Blacks From Owning Farmland
Ever since the federal government’s land redistribution plan was rescinded in 1865, the government has worked against Black people owning farmland.
lestercraven.substack.com
November 13, 2025 at 7:48 AM
For over 150 years, the federal government has systematically prevented Black American farmers from owning farmland. #BlackSky lestercraven.substack.com/p/federal-go...
“Lynching is a clear example of one’s inhumanity toward another. It’s a uniquely American act of terrorism that is motivated by hatred, and, before today, was never punished by our legal system,” Rep. Bobby Rush, March 29, 2022. #BlackSky lestercraven.substack.com/p/congress-t...
Congress Took 122 Years to Pass Anti-Lynching Law
Over 200 anti-lynching bills were introduced in Congress before finally passing one into law.
lestercraven.substack.com
November 10, 2025 at 7:26 AM
“Lynching is a clear example of one’s inhumanity toward another. It’s a uniquely American act of terrorism that is motivated by hatred, and, before today, was never punished by our legal system,” Rep. Bobby Rush, March 29, 2022. #BlackSky lestercraven.substack.com/p/congress-t...
A memorial honoring defenders of White supremacy still stands today in Colfax, Louisiana, but it took 150 years to honor the Black victims of their violence. #BlackSky lestercraven.substack.com/p/white-mob-...
White Mob Riots After Blacks Win Election
A mob of White men massacred Louisiana’s Black militia in the aftermath of the 1872 election.
lestercraven.substack.com
November 6, 2025 at 7:33 AM
A memorial honoring defenders of White supremacy still stands today in Colfax, Louisiana, but it took 150 years to honor the Black victims of their violence. #BlackSky lestercraven.substack.com/p/white-mob-...