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.

4 comments:

Lana Gramlich said...

I don't remember the killings, but I should. I guess I had too much chaos in my own, young life at the time...

Erik Donald France said...

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.

Johnny Yen said...

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 walking man said...

The good thing about comic books is that each panel has to be different to move the story along...history is like that.