Revisit: MIAMI (LIBERTY CITY) RIOT, 1980

The Miami Riot of 1980 was the first major race riot since the late 1960s. In December 1979, a number of white Miami-Dade (Florida) police officers were involved in a high-speed chase involving black motorist Arthur McDuffie. Police reports said that the chase ended when McDuffie crashed his motorcycle, ultimately leading to his death. However, coroner reports suggested that the cause of death was not consistent with a motorcycle crash. Continue reading Revisit: MIAMI (LIBERTY CITY) RIOT, 1980

POOR PEOPLE’S CAMPAIGN (DECEMBER 4, 1967 – JUNE 19, 1968)

The Poor People’s Campaign (PPC) was created on December 4, 1967, by the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) to address the issues of unemployment, housing shortages for the poor, and the impact of poverty on the lives of millions of Americans. Unlike earlier efforts directed toward helping African Americans gain civil rights and voting rights, SCLC and its leader, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., now addressed issues that impacted all who were poor regardless of racial background.  Their immediate aim was to secure federal legislation ensuring full employment and promoting the construction of low-income housing to raise the quality of life of the nation’s impoverished citizens. Continue reading POOR PEOPLE’S CAMPAIGN (DECEMBER 4, 1967 – JUNE 19, 1968)