Monday, April 13, 2009
Greensboro as Microcosm
It was a big deal to see Barack Obama and Joe Biden holding a political rally in Greensboro last year. The North Carolina city and environs is a sort of microcosm of the American Upper South with a storied history, fraught with social significance. From colonial days, American Revolution, a civil war zone fought between Loyalists and Rebels, a railroad hub, headquarters of Confederate forces in the waning days of the American Civil War, manufacturing center, and battleground for civil rights. I can personally remember the Greensboro Massacre of 1979, when five protestors were killed by members of the KKK and Neo-Nazi groups during a "Death to the Klan" march.
The 1960 Woolworth's sit-ins, the colleges and universities, the concerts and art, Obama's electoral victory in North Carolina and nationally, they're part of Greensboro, too.
Today's Rune: The Mystery Rune.
Labels:
1960,
1981,
American Civil War,
Election 2008,
Greensboro,
On the Road,
Race Matters
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4 comments:
I don't remember the killings, but I should. I guess I had too much chaos in my own, young life at the time...
Hey Lana, I was taking classes in Chapel Hill at the time, only about an hour away from Greensboro, and saw the flyers for the protest march. Would have been hard for me *not* to notice, given the proximity.
Also forgot to mention the Greensboro connections in American Gangster.
I remember the Greenboro massacre occurring, but didn't know much about it until recently. The more I know about it, the more I'm horrified.
The good thing about comic books is that each panel has to be different to move the story along...history is like that.
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