African Americans looked for ways to survive and advance in a hostile environment. They acted collectively and individually, in art and politics and everyday life. And they shouldered the responsibilities of citizenship, even fighting in America’s wars, though the essential rights of citizens were denied them. Their determined efforts produced new leaders, and organizations that demanded racial justice.
One of the ways African Americans challenged white supremacy of many was they weren’t afraid to utilize public space. Using public space for things such as holidays, parades, conventions, protest, and marches. African Americans used these public spaces not only for celebrations but to tell a story about their history, debate and set political goals for the community, applaud the role of African American soldiers and workers, and create a legacy and an identity for African American men, women and children in a positive light.
Here is an example of how African Americans challenged white supremacy in public spaces. A Baltimore procession in May 1870 celebrated the ratification of the Fifteenth Amendment, which guaranteed Black men the right to vote. The event had more than 12,000 participants and 20,000 spectators. Newspapers called the procession “vast and magnificent in its appointments, gorgeous in its decorations, and noble in its purposes.” Participants carried banners reading, “Give us equal rights and we will protect ourselves,” and “Equity and justice goes hand in hand.”
White supremacist groups such as the United Daughters of the Confederacy founded these Confederate monuments to, in their words, “correct history” by celebrating the “Lost Cause”, the idea that slavery was a compassionate institution. These monuments represented a way to remind African Americans that public spaces, public commemoration and public advancement were not for them.
Smith, Shannon M. (June 18, 2020). African Americans have long defied white supremacy. Retrieved January 11, 2022, from https://theconversation.com/african-americans
Lawson, Steven F. (2021). Segregation. Retrieved January 11, 2022, from http://nationalhumanitiescenter.org/tserve/freedom/1865-1917

Response

Tamara Robinson
African Americans were challenging white supremacy before WW1 by taking on their freedom as citizens. After being freed from slavery, they were now seen as a threat, and they were ridiculed in anyway. After the Plessy vs Ferguson case, which happened in 1896, everything was separate, but equal, as they claim, but the white supremacy did all that they could to make it an uncomfortable experience for people of color. Both races had bathrooms, but one was treated poorly, while the other was kept cleaned, both had water fountains, but one was clean,