Category Archives: Peace Love Art and Activism

February 23 Peace Love Art Activism

February 23 Peace Love Art Activism

US Labor History

February 23 Peace Love Activism

February 23, 1875:  the National Marine Engineers Association (now the Marine Engineers’ Beneficial Association), representing deck and engine officers on U.S. flag vessels, formed at a convention in Cleveland, Ohio. (MEBA site history) (see Nov 24)

February 23 Peace Love Art Activism

Immigration History

San Francisco Examiner

February 23, 1904: William Randolph Hearst’s San Francisco Examiner began publishing articles on the menace of Japanese laborers, leading to a resolution in the California legislature that action be taken against their immigration  (see February 20, 1907)

Obama appeal

February 23, 2015: the Department of Justice officially filed an appeal and a request for a stay of a judge’s recent decision to block President Barack Obama’s executive actions on immigration.

The appeal would overturn U.S. District Court Judge Andrew Hanen’s order the previous week to halt Obama’s policies from moving forward. A request for a stay was filed separately and would, if granted, allow Obama’s actions to be implemented even while a case brought by 26 states against the federal government works its way through the courts. (see May 26)

February 23 Peace Love Art Activism

FREE SPEECH

Mutual Film Corporation v. Industrial Commission of Ohio

February 23, 1915: the state government of Ohio had passed a statute in 1913 forming a board of censors which had the duty of reviewing and approving all films intended to be exhibited in the state. The board charged a fee for the approval service. The board could order the arrest of anyone showing an unapproved film in the state. In Mutual Film Corporation v. Industrial Commission of Ohio, on this date, the Supreme Court ruled 9-0 vote that the free speech protection of the Ohio Constitution — which was substantially similar to the First Amendment of the United States Constitution — did not extend to motion pictures. (FS, see March 3, 1919; motion pictures, see May 26, 1952)

Nationalist Socialist Party

February 23, 1978: Judge Bernard Decker of the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois issued an order ruling that the three ordinances adopted by the Skokie Village Board aimed at preventing Frank Collin and his Nationalist Socialist party sympathizers from marching in Skokie were unconstitutional as violative of the 1st Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. (see Mar 17)

February 23 Peace Love Art Activism

February 23 Music et al

see News Music for more

February 23 Peace Love Activism

February 23, 1940: Woody Guthrie wrote the lyrics to ‘This Land Is Your Land‘ in his room at the Hanover House Hotel in New York City. He would not record the song until 1944. It was a musical response to Irving Berlin’s “God Bless America”: “We can’t just bless America, we’ve got to change it.”

Guthrie stated: “I am out to sing songs that will prove to you that this is your world…that make you take pride in yourself and your work. And the songs that I sing are made up for the most part by all sorts of folks just about like you.”

Almanac Singers

In 1941: the Almanac Singers (Millard Lampell, Lee Hays, Pete Seeger, and Woody Guthrie) released Talking Union, an album containing pro-union songs. One was Florence Reece’s Which Side Are You On? Another was I Don’t Want Your Millions, Mister (written by Jim Garland), a song that is used today by Occupy Wall Street protestors.

During World War II, Guthrie printed the words, “This Machine Kills Fascists” on his guitar as a sign of his support of the war cause. Shortly afterwards, Pete Seeger printed the words, “This Machine Surrounds hate and Forces It to Surrender” on his banjo. Current guitarist, Tom Morello, often uses a guitar with the words, “Arm the Homeless” printed on it.

Abel Meeropol

In 1945: Abel Meeropol, writer of “Strange Fruit,” was an active member of the American Communist Party [he and his wife adopted the two orphaned sons, Michael and Robert, of Ethel and Julius Rosenberg after their execution in 1953]. Meeropol taught at the De Witt Clinton High School in the Bronx for 27 years, but continued to write songs, including Frank Sinatra’s 1945 hit, The House I Live In with Earl Robinson.  (Spartacus article)

The House I Live In” was a 1945 short film written by Albert Maltz and made by producer Frank Ross and actor Frank Sinatra to oppose anti-Semitism and prejudice at the end of World War II.  It received a special Academy Award in 1946.  (archive article) (see December 31, 1945)

Fear of Rock

February 23, 1955:  “A Warning to the Music Business,” Variety magazine: “Music ‘leer-ics’ are touching new lows and . . . policing, if you will, [has] to come from more responsible sources. Meaning the . . . record manufacturers and their network daddies. . . . It won’t wash for them to . . . justify their ‘leer-ic’ garbage by declaring ‘that’s what kids want’ or ‘that’s the only thing that sells today.” (Rock, see Mar 19; FoR, see Aug 21)

Oliver Nelson

February 23, 1961: “Blues and the Abstract Truth” released by Oliver Nelson. Recorded at Van Gelder Studio, Englewood Cliffs, NJ.

The Beatles

February 23, 1964: their 3rd appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show, but not live. The Beatles had taped previously their third show. Songs performed for the show were: Twist and Shout, Please, Please Me, and I Want to Hold Your Hand. (see Feb 28)

February 23 Peace Love Art Activism

Calvin Graham

February 23, 1943: the USS South Dakota reported that Graham had been absent over leave since February 20, 1943. (see Graham for expanded story)

February 23 Peace Love Art Activism

Cold War/Vietnam

SEATO

February 23, 1955:  at the first council meeting of the Southeast Asia Treaty Organization, Secretary of State John Foster Dulles declared the United States is committed to defending the region from communist aggression. The meeting, and American participation in SEATO, set the stage for the U.S. to take a more active role in Vietnam. (CW, see May 14; next Vietnam, see Apr 27)

Vietnam

February 23, 1966:  according to the U.S. military headquarters in Saigon, 90,000 South Vietnamese deserted in 1965. This number was almost 14 percent of total South Vietnamese army strength and was twice the number of those that had deserted in 1964. By contrast, the best estimates showed that fewer than 20,000 Viet Cong had defected during the previous year. (see Mar 5)

February 23 Peace Love Art Activism

Women’s Health

February 23, 1961: the National Council of Churches represented the major Protestant religious denominations and, in the 1960s, became increasingly active on social issues, particularly civil rights. The support for birth control announced on this day reflected the strong consensus of opinion among Protestants on this issue. The NCC statement, however, unequivocally condemned abortion as destroying human life. The attitudes of Protestants and the major Protestant denominations on abortion would change dramatically in the next decade. (see Oct 2, 1962)

February 23 Peace Love Art Activism

IRAQ War I

February 23, 1991: President George H.W. Bush announced that the allied ground offensive against Iraqi forces had begun. (see Feb 25)

February 23 Peace Love Art Activism

CLINTON IMPEACHMENT

February 23, 1998: there was more legal wrangling over when Marcia Lewis, Lewinsky’s mother, will resume her grand jury testimony. Her lawyer, Billy Martin, said she was “going through hell.” (see Clinton for expanded story)

February 23 Peace Love Art Activism

BLACK HISTORY

James Byrd

February 23, 1999: a jury in Jasper, Texas, convicted white supremacist John William King of murder in the dragging death of James Byrd Jr. (BH & Byrd, see Feb 25)

Emmett Till

February 23, 2007: a grand jury refused to bring any new charges in the 1955 slaying of Emmett Till, District Attorney Joyce Chiles had sought a manslaughter charge against the white woman, Carolyn Bryant Donham, who was suspected of pointing out Till to her husband to punish the him.

The grand jury issued a “no bill,” meaning it had found insufficient evidence.

Federal authorities had decided in 2006 not to prosecute anyone, saying the statute of limitations for federal charges had run out. Mississippi authorities represented the last, best hope of bringing someone to justice. No one had ever been convicted in the slaying. (BH, see Mar 16; see ET for expanded chronology)

Ahmaud Arbery

February 23, 2020: Travis McMichael, 34, and his father, Gregory McMichael, 64, shot and killed Ahmaud Arbery who had been jogging near his home on the outskirts of Brunswick, Ga.

Gregory McMichael told the police that he thought Arbery looked like a man suspected in several break-ins in the area. The Brunswick News, citing documents obtained through a public records request, reported that there had been just one burglary in the neighborhood since January: the theft of a handgun from an unlocked truck parked outside Travis McMichael’s house. [NYT article] (next B & S and AA, see Feb 27or see AA for expanded chronology)

Arbery Suit Filed

February 23, 2021: Wanda Cooper, the mother of Ahmaud Arbery, filed a multimillion-dollar civil lawsuit against several people involved in the killing or the subsequent investigation.

Cooper filed the lawsuit in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia exactly one year after her son’s killing.

The suit named Gregory and Travis McMichael, father and son, as well as William “Roddie” Bryan.

The suit said the men “willfully and maliciously conspired to follow, threaten, detain and kill Ahmaud Arbery.”

The court filing also named law enforcement officials and local prosecutors and alleged they were intimately involved with an alleged cover-up in the investigation. (next BH, see Mar 15; next B & S and AhA, see Apr 28 or see AA for expanded chronology)

February 23 Peace Love Art Activism

Dissolution of Yugoslavia

February 23, 2001: a U.N. war crimes tribunal convicted three Bosnian Serbs on charges of rape and torture in the first case of wartime sexual enslavement to go before an international court. (see June 28)

February 23 Peace Love Art Activism

Feminism

February 23, 2010: the US Navy officially announced that it would end its ban of women in submarines. [ABC News article] (see October 9, 2012)

February 23 Peace Love Art Activism

LGBTQ

February 23, 2011: President Obama stated his administration would no longer defend the Defense of Marriage Act, which banned the recognition of same-sex marriage. [NYT article] (see March 16, 2011 or see or see December 13, 2022 re DoMA)

February 23 Peace Love Art Activism

Fair Housing

February 23, 2018:  the National Fair Housing Alliance (NFHA) announced that it had settled a lawsuit with Travelers Indemnity Company.  The settlement guaranteed that Washington, DC landlords would not be denied commercial insurance coverage from Travelers simply because their apartments were rented to people who use Housing Choice Vouchers, also known as Section 8. In Washington, DC, Housing Choice Voucher participants were disproportionately African-American and women-headed households with children.

As part of the agreement, Travelers paid $450,000 to NFHA for damages, costs, and fees, and Travelers agreed that it would not ask about the source of income of residents at DC properties it considers insuring. (see Mar 5)

February 23 Peace Love Art Activism

February 22 Peace Love Art Activism

February 22 Peace Love Art Activism

Immigration History

Act to Regulate…

February 22, 1847: the US Congress enacted an Act to regulate the Carriage of Passengers in Merchant Vessels. Ships brought US products to Europe often used “passengers” as ballast for the return trip. In other words, the ship treated the passengers as cargo, not as people. Thousands became sick and died, particularly of typhus. This act was an attempt to curb such mistreatment.

Because of the Act’s limitations, ship owners increased their trips from Europe to Canada to bypass the law. The increase did not mean better conditions, but rather mean more crowded conditions and more deaths.

On August 15, 1909 the Ancient Order of Hiberians dedicated a Celtic Cross on the Grosse Island the site of a quarantine station and the site of graves for 5,000 Irish immigrants who had died at the station. (next IH, see January 31, 1848)

Nation of immigrants

February 22, 2018: the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services stopped characterizing the United States as “a nation of immigrants.”

Agency director, L. Francis Cissna informed employees that its mission statement had been revised to “guide us in the years ahead.” Gone was the phrase that described the agency as securing “America’s promise as a nation of immigrants.”

The original mission statement, created in 2005, said,: “U.S.C.I.S. secures America’s promise as a nation of immigrants by providing accurate and useful information to our customers, granting immigration and citizenship benefits, promoting an awareness and understanding of citizenship, and ensuring the integrity of our immigration system.”

The new version says: “U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services administers the nation’s lawful immigration system, safeguarding its integrity and promise by efficiently and fairly adjudicating requests for immigration benefits while protecting Americans, securing the homeland and honoring our values.”

Cissna’s mother immigrated to the United States from Peru and his wife’s mother came from the Middle East. He grew up speaking Spanish at home and speaks it exclusively with his children. (see Feb 26)

February 22 Peace Love Art Activism

BLACK HISTORY

Frazier Baker lynched

February 22, 1898: Frazier Baker, an African American who had recently been appointed postmaster of Lake City, S.C., and his infant daughter, Julia, were killed and his wife and three other daughters were maimed for life when a lynch mob set after them. Citizens of the small town of 500 residents set fire to the post office, where the Bakers lived, and shot them as they ran out.

The accused were indicted on twenty-four counts including “a conspiracy to injure and oppress Frazier B. Baker in the free exercise” of his civil rights.

Twenty-three of the counts charged conspiracy, but the count for the destruction of the mail did not. The trial started on April 10, 1899 in the Federal District Court of Charleston, South Carolina. Three of the men were found not guilty and the all-white jury remained deadlocked on a verdict for the other eight. The judge declared a mistrial and the federal prosecutors did not reopen the case. (Postal Museum article) (next BH, see Apr 25; see 19th century for expanded lynching chronology)

Frank George Pinkston and Charles Melvin Sherrod

February 22, 1960: about 200 students, led by Frank George Pinkston and Charles Melvin Sherrod, marched from the Virginia Union University campus to downtown Richmond, shutting down the shopping district. Police arrested 34 students taking part in sit-ins and pickets at Thalhimer’s Department Store.

The Greensboro Four

February 22 – 28, 1960: the lunch counters at F.W. Woolworth and Kress stores reopened, but were still segregated. Greensboro Mayor George H. Roach introduced the Greensboro Advisory Committee on Community Relations representing the City Council, the Chamber of Commerce and the Merchants Association. Chairman Ed Zane worked to increase public support for integration of lunch counters, encouraging people to write and express their opinions on the racial situation.

By the end of February, the sit-in movement had spread to more than 30 cities in eight states. ( see G4 for expanded chronology; next BH, see Mar 1)

Muhammad Ali

February 22, 1964: three days before the fight, a New York Times article stated that, “At the moment Cassius Marcellus Clay may very well be — to borrow his own florid description of himself — the “prettiest and greatest” of all heavyweight fighters. Before Tuesday midnight, however, the situation could very well undergo a rather violent metamorphosis.

On that evening the loud mouth from Louisville is likely to have a lot of vainglorious boasts jammed down his throat by a ham-like fist belonging to Sonny Liston, the malefic destroyer who is the champion of the world. The irritatingly confident Cassius enters this bout with one trifling handicap. He can’t fight as well as he can talk. (see Feb 25)

Katherine Johnson

February 22, 2019: NASA officially renamed a facility in West Virginia after Katherine Johnson, an African-American mathematician and centenarian whose barrier-breaking career was depicted in the film “Hidden Figures.”

The 2016 film, based on a book released earlier that year, depicted the struggle of Ms. Johnson and other black women for equality at NASA during the height of the space age and segregation. The mathematician tracked the trajectories of crucial missions in the 1960s.

“I am thrilled we are honoring Katherine Johnson in this way as she is a true American icon who overcame incredible obstacles and inspired so many,” Jim Bridenstine, the administrator of NASA, said in a statement. (see Feb 27)

Houston Race Revolt Restitution Attempt

February 22, 2024: in 1917 the US Army convicted 110 Black soldiers  of murder, mutiny and other crimes at three military trials held at Fort Sam Houston in San Antonio. Nineteen were hanged, including 13 on November 13, 1917, the largest mass execution of American soldiers by the Army.

On this date, several descendants of those soldiers gathered at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery as the Department of Veterans Affairs dedicated new headstones for 17 of the executed servicemen.

The new headstones acknowledged each soldier’s rank, unit and home state — a simple honor accorded to every other veteran buried in the cemetery. They replaced the previous headstones that noted only their name and date of death.

The families of the other two who were hanged reclaimed their remains for private burial.  [NYT article] (next BH, see ; next RR, see )

February 22 Peace Love Art Activism

Crime and Punishment

National Bail Fund

February 22, 1922: Roger Baldwin, Director of the ACLU, organized the National Bail Fund for Civil Liberties on this day to assist people being prosecuted in civil liberties cases. Baldwin announced a goal of raising $100,000, and said that $60,000 had already been raised. The Fund became one of the principal sources of bail assistance for civil liberties cases in the 1920s. (see March 31, 1958)

Pre-Trial Fairness Act

February 22, 2021: Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed the Illinois Pre-Trial Fairness Act making Illinois the first state to abolish cash bail payments for jail release for people who have been arrested and are waiting for their case to be heard.

The practice had long been controversial with criminal justice reform advocates who call cash bail a “poor people’s tax” that had a disproportionately negative impact on people of color. It left those who can’t come up with the money in jail for weeks or longer or even accepting plea deals as a way to get out.

Some of the provisions include requiring police officers to be licensed by the state and to wear body-cams by 2025, expanding training opportunities for officers, making it easier to decertify police officers who commit misconduct, and improving a victims compensation program by making resources more readily available to survivors. [NPR story] (next C & P, see Apr 22)

February 22 Peace Love Art Activism

February 22 Music et al

Roots of Rock

February 22, 1957: according to a NYT report, “Teenage rock ‘n’ roll enthusiasts stormed into Times Square area before dawn…and all day long they filled sidewalks, tied up traffic, and eventually required the attention of 175 policemen.

“They begin lining up at 4 A.M. to see the show at the Paramount Theatre. It wasn’t until 18 and a half hours later—at 10:30 P.M.—that the last of the line entered the theatre….The show featured Alan Freed.” (see Feb 25)

Billboard #1

February 22 – April 24, 1960: “Theme from a Summer Place” by Percy Faith #1 Billboard Hot 100.

Beatles Please

February 22, 1963: “Please Please Me” reached #1 in the UK. (see Mar 3)

Beatles Return

February 22, 1964: after a hectic but successful tour to the US, the Beatles returned to England. (see Beatles Back in the UK)

Beat Generation

February 22, 2021:  Lawrence Ferlinghetti died. (next Beat, see )

February 22 Peace Love Art Activism

Vietnam

South Vietnam Leadership

February 22, 1965: Gen Nguyen Khanh announced that he had accepted the council’s decision. Although he was hastily given the title of ambassador at large, General Khanh would never again play a significant role in his country’s future.  (Vietnam, see Feb 26; SVL, see June 14)

February 22 Peace Love Art Activism

Native Americans

Alcatraz

February 22, 1970: after three months, not more than 100 were still occupying Alcatraz and boredom was the biggest problem. (NYT article) (see May 31)

Environmental Issues

February 22, 2108: federal District Court Judge William Orrick ruled against Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s attempt to delay the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) Waste Prevention Rule.

The Environmental Defense Fund and a coalition of conservation and tribal citizen groups had asked the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California for a preliminary injunction to prevent Zinke from delaying the rule.

Orrick granted the request.

“The court’s decision to block Secretary Zinke’s unlawful suspension ensures the Waste Prevention Rule remains in place, protecting tribes, ranchers and families across the West,” said EDF Lead Attorney Peter Zalzal. “The protections restored by this decision will help to prevent the waste of natural gas, reduce harmful methane, smog-forming and toxic pollution, and ensure communities and tribes have royalty money that can be used to construct roads and schools.” (EI, see Feb 27; NA, see Apr 13)

Derogatory Term Removed

February 22, 2022: the Department of the Interior announced that it was moving forward with removing and replacing a derogatory term for Indigenous women used for decades across the US, the department said Tuesday.

On November 19, 2021, Interior Secretary Deb Haaland issued an order declaring “squaw” derogatory. The term had historically been used as an offensive ethnic, racial and sexist slur towards Indigenous women.

Haaland, who is the first Native American to serve as a cabinet secretary, established a 13-member task force to rename more than 600 geographic features that contain the term through that order. (next NA, see Apr 1)

February 22 Peace Love Art Activism

Symbionese Liberation Army

February 22, 1974: the first day of food distribution for People in Need ended in riots. Randolph Hearst stated that $6 million was beyond his capabilities. “The matter is now out of my hands,” he said. His representative made an offer to pay $2 million upon the immediate release of Patty Hearst and an additional $2 million in January 1975. (see PH for expanded chronology)

February 22 Peace Love Art Activism

INDEPENDENCE DAY

February 22, 1979: Saint Lucia independent of United Kingdom.  (next ID, see Oct 27)

February 22 Peace Love Art Activism

Japanese Internment Camps

February 22 Peace Love Activism

February 22, 1983: The Report of the Commission of Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians (CWRIC), entitled Personal Justice Denied, concluded that the exclusion, expulsion, and incarceration of Japanese-Americans were not justified by military necessity, and the decisions to do so were based on race prejudice, war hysteria, and a failure of political leadership. (see Internment for expanded chronology)

February 22 Peace Love Art Activism

Euro arrives

February 22, 2002: the ex-currencies of all euro-using nations cease to be legal tender in the European Union.

February 22 Peace Love Art Activism

US Labor History

Foxconn

February 22, 2011: when Apple released its annual review of labor conditions at its global suppliers, one startling revelation stood out: 137 workers at a China factory had been seriously injured by a toxic chemical used in making the signature slick glass screens of the iPhone. (see February 13, 2012)

WV Teacher Strike

February 22, 2018: West Virginia teachers’ strike began with a call from the West Virginia branches of the American Federation of Teachers and the National Education Association for teachers across West Virginia to strike. The strike was called in response to the comparatively low pay of West Virginia teachers, a pay raise passed by the legislature and signed by Governor Jim Justice that provided only a 2% raise for next year, and 1% raise for 2020 and a 1% raise for 2021 and a freeze on premiums for 16 months to benefits. Every public school district in the state closed. (USLH & WV, see Feb 27)

February 22 Peace Love Art Activism

LGBTQ

Same-sex rights

February 22, 2012: U.S. District Court Judge Jeffrey White ruled in Golinski v. Office of Personnel Management, declaring that DOMA’s Section 3, which restricts marriage to different-sex couples, was unconstitutional. [Wikipedia article] (see Mar 1)

Transgender protection

February 22, 2017: overruling his own education secretary, President Trump rescinded protections for transgender students that had allowed them to use bathrooms corresponding with their gender identity.

In a joint letter, the top civil rights officials from the Justice Department and the Education Department rejected the Obama administration’s position that nondiscrimination laws required schools to allow transgender students to use the bathrooms of their choice.

That directive, they said, was improperly and arbitrarily devised, “without due regard for the primary role of the states and local school districts in establishing educational policy.” (see Mar 6)

February 22 Peace Love Art Activism

Feminism

Violence Against Women Act

February 22 Peace Love Activism

February 22, 2013: The House of Representatives introduced its version of the Violence Against Women Act. It came under sharp criticism from Democrats and women’s and human rights groups for failing to include protections in the Senate bill for gay, bisexual or transgender victims of domestic abuse. The House bill eliminated “sexual orientation” and “gender identity” from a list of “populations” that face barriers to receiving victim services — and also stripped certain provisions regarding American Indian women on reservations. (see Feb 28)

Equal Pay

February 22, 2022: US Soccer and the United States Women’s National Team (USWNT) reached an agreement to end a dispute over equal pay

The dispute dated back to March 2019 when the USWNT filed a gender discrimination lawsuit against US Soccer.

The agreement would see the women’s and men’s national teams receive an equal rate of pay in all friendlies and tournaments, including the World Cup.

A joint statement said, “We are pleased to announce that, contingent on the negotiation of a new collective bargaining agreement, we will have resolved our longstanding dispute over equal pay and proudly stand together in a shared commitment to advancing equality in soccer.”

As part of the agreement, US Soccer paid $22 million to the players in the case as well as an “additional $2 million into an account to benefit the USWNT players in their post-career goals and charitable efforts related to women’s and girls’ soccer.” [CNN article] (next Feminism, see )

February 22 Peace Love Art Activism

ADA

February 22, 2017: the Supreme Court sided with Ehlena Fry, a 13-year-old Michigan girl with cerebral palsy, who spent years battling school officials for the right to bring her service dog — a goldendoodle named Wonder — to class. The justices ruled unanimously that federal disability laws might allow Ehlena Fry to pursue her case in court without first having to wade through a lengthy administrative process.

Fry’s family had obtained a goldendoodle to help her open doors and retrieve items. Her school district initially refused to allow Wonder at school. Officials relented a bit in 2010, but they placed many restrictions on Wonder. Ehlena and her dog later transferred to another school.

Her family sued the school district for violations of federal disability laws. The case was dismissed after a judge said the Frys first had to seek an administrative hearing. An appeals court last year upheld that decision 2-1. (see Mar 20)

February 22 Peace Love Art Activism

DEATH PENALTY

February 22, 2017: the Supreme Court ruled in favor of a death row inmate Duane Buck in Texas whose own lawyers introduced evidence at trial that he was more likely to be dangerous in the future because he is black. The court ruled that ane Buck, would be able to go back into a lower court and argue that he should have a new sentencing hearing.

In a 6-2 ruling, Chief Justice John Roberts wrote the majority opinion holding that Buck has “demonstrated both ineffective assistance of counsel” and has an “entitlement to relief.” (see Feb 27)

February 22 Peace Love Art Activism

TERRORISM

February 22, 2017: at the Austins Bar and Grill in Olathe, Kan, Adam W. Purinton shot Srinivas Kuchibhotla and Alok Madasani, two immigrants from India, as well as Ian Grillot who had tried to come to their aid.

Purinton had earlier said racial slurs to the two Indians, was escorted out of the bar, but returned with a gun. Kuchibhotla died. Madasani and Grillot  were wounded. [NYT story] (see Mar 3)

February 22 Peace Love Art Activism

Cannabis

February 22, 2021: months after voters approved legalization and months of wrangling over legislative language, New Jersey finally became the 13th state to legalize marijuana.

It wasn’t just the state’s social justice activists, entrepreneurs and the state’s most ardent weed enthusiasts waiting with bated breath. Legal weed advocates nationwide had kept a close eye on New Jersey, seen as a vital domino that could soon send the entire East Coast cascading toward marijuana legalization.

And, eventually, the rest of the country.

“New Jersey could be the game changer for the Northeast and for the Mid-Atlantic. It is a huge state, there will be a large market there and it will undoubtedly put pressure on surrounding states to rethink their positions and create momentum for cannabis reform,” said Steve Hawkins, executive director of the Marijuana Policy Project, a national advocacy group for marijuana legalization. (next Cannabis, see , or see Cannabis Dominoes for expanded chronology) (next Cannabis, see Mar 31, or see CAC for expanded chronology)

February 22 Peace Love Art Activism

February 21 Peace Love Art Activism

February 21 Peace Love Art Activism

US Labor History

The Communist Manifesto

February 21, 1848: in London a group of German-born revolutionary socialists known as the Communist League published The Communist Manifesto. Karl Marx, with the assistance of Friedrich Engels, wrote it. The political pamphlet–arguably the most influential in history–proclaimed that “the history of all hitherto existing society is the history of class struggles” and that the inevitable victory of the proletariat, or working class, would put an end to class society forever. (text of Manifesto) (see April 12, 1858)

United Farm Workers

February 21 Peace Love Art Activism

February 21, 1972, :  the AFL-CIO granted a charter to César E. Chávez and Dolores Huerta’s United Farm Workers of America. (UFW, see Mar 25)

Oakland teacher strike

February 21, 2019: teachers in Oakland, California went on strike after rejecting the district’s latest offer to avoid a walkout.

Union President Keith Brown said  the district proposed a raise of 7 percent over four years and a one-time bonus of 1.5 percent, up from its original offer of 5 percent over three years.

Brown said the latest offer failed to address the high cost of living that is driving teachers out of Oakland.

The union was demanding 12 percent over three years retroactive from 2017 to 2020. Teachers also wanted smaller class sizes, more counselors and full-time nurses. (see Mar 3)

February 21 Peace Love Art Activism

BLACK HISTORY

Nathaniel Gordon

February 21, 1862: Nathaniel Gordon became the first and only American slave-trader to be executed under the U.S. Piracy Law of 1820 as he was hanged in New York.

On August 7, 1860, Gordon had loaded 897 slaves aboard his ship Erie at Sharks Point, Congo River, West Africa, “of whom only 172 were men and 162 grown women. Gordon… preferred to carry children because they could not rise up to avenge his cruelties.”

The USS Mohican captured the Erie on August 8, 1860. The slaves were taken to Liberia, the American colony established in West Africa by the American Colonization Society for the settlement of free blacks from the United States. (NYT archive article) (see Mar 24)

Wayman Caliman, Jr

February 21, 1947: students at Williams College in Massachusetts  protested a barber in Williamstown who had tried to charge an African-American customer, Wayman Caliman, Jr., $3.00 for a haircut rather than the $1.00 he charged white customers. One of the protesting students was Norman Redlich, who went on to become a distinguished lawyer, member of the Warren Commission that investigated President Kennedy’s assassination, and Dean of New York University Law School. (see Apr 9)

Montgomery Bus Boycott

February 21, 1956: a Montgomery grand jury indicted 89 leaders of the boycott, including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and Rev. Ralph Abernathy, for violating a 1921 state statute forbidding boycotts without “just cause.”

Grand jurors repudiated anti-segregation efforts in the grand jury report that accompanied the indictment. “In this state we are committed to segregation by custom and law; we intend to maintain it,” the grand jury wrote. “The settlement of differences over school attendance, public transportation and other facilities must be made within those laws which reflect our way of life.”

As the indicted boycott leaders surrendered themselves into custody at the police station, hundreds of African American supporters gathered outside in a show of support for their efforts to challenge racial discrimination and fight segregation in Alabama.

Of those indicted, only Dr. King was prosecuted. Despite defense evidence showing that the boycott was peaceful and that discriminatory bus service inflicted harm on the African American community, Dr. King was quickly convicted, fined $1000, and given a suspended jail sentence of one year at hard labor.

The indictment and Dr. King’s conviction strengthened local African Americans’ resolve to fight segregation and attracted national attention to the growing civil rights movement. (BH see Feb 24; see Montgomery for expanded story)

Free speech

February 21, 1961: the Rev. Ralph D. Abernathy’s car was sold at auction to help pay off his portion of a $500,000 libel judgment. (see  (BH, see Mar 6; FS, see Mar 28)

Malcolm X

February 21 Peace Love Art Activism

February 21, 1965: Malcolm X was shot and killed by assassins as he was about to address a rally in New York City; he was 39. (BH, see Feb 24; MX, see Feb 26)

Black Panthers

February 21, 1970:   in New York City a cell of the Weather Underground fire-bombed the house of Judge Murtagh, who had presided over the Panther 21 trial . The same night, Molotov cocktails were thrown at a police car in Manhattan and two military recruiting stations in Brooklyn (2015 CNN article)  (BH, see Apr 12; BP, see Aug 7; WU, see Mar 6)

Tulsa race riot

February 21, 2001: After the Oklahoma State Legislature authorized a commission to study the Tulsa Riot of 1921, (Tulsa history article) the  report recommended actions for substantial restitution; in order of priority:

  1. Direct payment of reparations to survivors of the 1921 Tulsa race riot;
  2. Direct payment of reparations to descendants of the survivors of the Tulsa race riot;
  3. A scholarship fund available to students affected by the Tulsa race riot;
  4. Establishment of an economic development enterprise zone in the historic area of the Greenwood district; and
  5. A memorial for the reburial of the remains of the victims of the Tulsa race riot.  (next BH, see Apr 3; next RR, see Apr 7); next Lynching, see October 10, 2003; for expanded chronology of lynching, see also AL4)
Malcolm X 2021

February 21, 2021: a letter written by ex-undercover NYPD policeman Raymond Wood alleged that his department and the FBI covered up details of the Malcolm X

Wood said that he was ordered to infiltrate the civil rights movement and had members of Malcolm X’s security detail arrested shortly before the killing by assassins identified as members of the Nation of Islam. Three men were convicted of murder and imprisoned, and all were eventually paroled.

“I participated in actions that in hindsight were deplorable and detrimental to the advancement of my own Black people. My actions on behalf of the New York City Police Department were done under duress and fear,” said Reggie Wood, a relative who read Raymond’s letter aloud at a press conference.

The letter said the security arrests carried out by Wood meant Malcolm X did not have security at the entrance to the Audubon Ballroom where he was speaking. [Aljaaeera articleSpectrum News article] (next BH, see Feb 23; next MX, see )

February 21 Peace Love Art Activism

LGBTQ

Ariston Hotel Baths

February 21 Peace Love Art Activism

February 21, 1903: New York police conducted raid on a gay bathhouse, the Ariston Hotel Baths. 26 men were arrested and 12 brought to trial on sodomy charges; 7 men received sentences ranging from 4 to 20 years in prison. 

Emma Goldman

In 1910. Goldman first began speaking publicly in favor of homosexual rights. Magnus Hirschfeld later wrote “she was the first and only woman, indeed the first and only American, to take up the defense of homosexual love before the general public.” (next LGBTQ, see June 4, 1920; see Goldman for her story)

Eric Rudolph

February 21, 1997: Eric Rudolph bombed the Otherside Lounge, an Atlanta lesbian bar, injuring five. (NYT article) (see Apr 30)

February 21 Peace Love Art Activism
Native Americans
Meriam Report

February 21, 1928: The Meriam Report (officially The Problem of Indian Administration) compiled information and reported of the conditions of American Indians across the country The report combined narrative with statistics to criticize the Department of Interior’s implementation of the Dawes Act (February 8, 1887) and overall conditions on reservations and in Indian boarding schools. The Meriam Report provided much of the data used to reform American Indian policy through new legislation: the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934. It strongly influenced succeeding policies in land allotment, education, and health care.

The report found generally that the US federal government was failing at its goals of protecting Native Americans, their land, and their resources, both personal and cultural. (complete text) (see June 18, 1934)

Same-sex marriage

February 21, 2015: the national debate over gay marriage prompted some Navajos to re-examine a 2005 tribal law called the Dine Marriage Act, which prohibited same-sex unions on the reservation. Among the tribal politicians who said they were amenable to repealing the law was Ben Shelly, president of the Navajo Nation, who said he would go along with a repeal if the Navajo Nation Council voted in favor of it. [NYT article] (LGBTQ, see Mar 2; NA, see Mar 30; Cherokee story, see December 9, 2016 )

February 21 Peace Love Art Activism

Technological Milestone

February 21 Peace Love Art Activism

February 21, 1947:  Edwin H. Land publicly demonstrated his Polaroid Land camera, which could produce a black-and-white photograph in 60 seconds. 4 lb. Polaroid Land Camera Model 95 was on sale at the Jordan Marsh department store in Boston for $89.75. It made more than $5 million in sales in the first year, and would be the prototype for Polaroid cameras for the next 15 years. [NYT obit for Land] (see Oct 5)

February 21 Peace Love Art Activism

Nuclear/Chemical Weapons News

February 21 Peace Love Art Activism

February 21, 1958: in England, professor Gerald Holtom  designed a nuclear disarmament symbol that became known as the peace symbol. Holtom was a professional artist and graduate of the Royal College of Arts in London. He was one of many intellectuals in Britain during the 1950’s who were deeply disturbed by witnessing the horrors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, and then watching in disbelief as their own government, despite being in a time of post-war material hardship, raced to join the nuclear club. (next Nuclear, see Apr 4; see Holtom for his story)

February 21 Peace Love Art Activism

Vietnam

South Vietnam Leadership

February 21, 1965: the Armed Forces Council dismissed South Vietnam’s Gen Nguyen Khanh as chairman and as commander of the armed forces. General Lam Van Phat replaced him. (V & SVL, see Feb 27)

Henry Kissinger

February 21, 1970: National Security Advisor Henry Kissinger began secret peace talks at a villa outside Paris with North Vietnamese representative Le Duc Tho, the fifth-ranking member of the Hanoi Politburo. Le Duc Tho stated that the North Vietnamese position continued to require an unconditional U.S. withdrawal on a fixed date and the abandonment of the Thieu government as a precondition for further progress, which stalled the negotiations. The North Vietnamese rejected Kissinger’s proposals for a mutual withdrawal of military forces, the neutralization of Cambodia, and a mixed electoral commission to supervise elections in South Vietnam.

The talks were so secret that neither the secretary of state nor the secretary of defense nor the head of the CIA nor the Joint Chiefs of Staff had been told. (see Feb 25)

February 21 Peace Love Art Activism

February 21 Music et al

LSD

February 21, 1965: police raided Owsley Stanley’s makeshift LSD laboratory. He would beat the charges and successfully sued for the return of his equipment. The police were looking for methamphetamine, but found only LSD, which was not illegal at the time. (see March…July)

Future Woodstock Performers

February 21, 1968: Blood, Sweat, & Tears released its first album, Child Is Father To the Man. Follow link to read more.(see July 1)

February 21 Peace Love Art Activism

The Cold War

February 21 > 28, 1972: President Richard M. Nixon arrived in China for an historic eight-day official visit. He was the first U.S. president to visit the People’s Republic of China since its founding in 1949.

The meeting between Nixon and Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai resulted in the Shanghai Communique, a pledge to set aside differences, especially on Taiwan, and to begin the process of the normalization of relations. (2012 Washington Post story) (see June 4, 1974)

February 21 Peace Love Art Activism

Watergate Scandal

February 21, 1975: former US Attorney General John N. Mitchell, and former White House aides H. R. Haldeman and John Ehrlichman, were sentenced to between 30 months and 8 years in prison. (see Watergate for expanded story)

February 21 Peace Love Art Activism

Cannabis

February 21, 1978:  New  Mexico Gov. Jerry Apodaca signed into law a bill to legalize the use of marijuana for medical purposes under very limited circumstances. The measure was based on evidence that marijuana helps relieve advese side effects of cancer chemotherapy and the painful effects of glaucoma. The first beneficiary of the law was Lynn Pierson, a 26‐year‐old student who said he had been using marijuana since 1976 to ease the effects of chemotherapy for treatment of lung cancer. [NYT article] (next Cannabis, see May 1985 or see CCC for expanded chronology)

February 21 Peace Love Art Activism

AIDS & Ryan White

February 21, 1986: White returned to school. A different judge grants a restraining order that afternoon to again bar him. (see White for his expanded story)

February 21 Peace Love Art Activism

Sexual Abuse of Children

John Geoghan

February 21, 2002:  John Geoghan sentenced to 9-10 years in prison as the archdiocese continues to reel from the scandal. The extent of the cover-up and the sheer number of priests involved has shocked Boston’s large Catholic community, leading to calls for Cardinal Bernard Law to step down. Meanwhile, new cases are being reported in several other states. (see April 8)

Church summit

February 21, 2019: Pope Francis opened a historic summit meeting devoted to the scourge of child sexual abuse, an issue that had for decades devastated and eroded faith in some corners of his vast church while being utterly ignored and denied in others.

“We hear the cry of the little ones asking for justice,” he said. “The holy people of God look to us and expect from us not simple and obvious condemnations, but concrete and effective measures.”

Bringing together church leaders from around the world at the Vatican, Francis said that the church was obliged to discuss the extent to which abuse was afflicting the church and humanity in a “sincere and in-depth manner.” [NYT article] (see Apr 23)

February 21 Peace Love Art Activism

Women’s Health

February 21, 2014:  the U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago ruled against the University of Notre Dame in a case over parts of the federal health care law that forces it to provide health insurance for students and employees that covers contraceptives. The court upheld a federal judge’s earlier ruling that denied the Roman Catholic school’s request for a preliminary injunction that would prevent it from having to comply with the birth control requirement as the university’s lawsuit moves forward. [SBT article] (see Mar 4)

February 21 Peace Love Art Activism

Immigration History

DHS memoranda

February 21, 2017: the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)  released a set of memoranda regarding illegal immigrants.

  • One document stated that , “The Department will no longer exempt classes or categories of removable aliens from potential enforcement.”
  • Another expanded Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s ability to perform expedited removals on people who have been living in the U.S. for up to two years.
  • The U.S.would also prosecute the parents of unaccompanied minors as smugglers.
  • DHS directed ICE to hire 10,000 additional people to get the job done.
  • the priority remained “removable aliens” who have been convicted of a crime or charged with a crime.
  • It did not suggest any changes to the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, or DACA. [NYT article] (see Mar 6)
Greyhound buses & Border Patrol

February 21, 2020: ABC news reported that Greyhound, the nation’s largest bus company, had announced that it would stop allowing Border Patrol agents without a warrant to board its buses to conduct routine immigration checks.

The company’s announcement came one week after The Associated Press reported on a leaked Border Patrol memo confirming that agents can’t board private buses without the consent of the bus company. Greyhound had previously insisted that even though it didn’t like the immigration checks, it had no choice under federal law but to allow them. (next IH, see Feb 28)

February 21 Peace Love Art Activism

Crime and Punishment

February 21, 2018: in Murphy v Smith et al, by a 5-to-4 vote that divided the justices along ideological lines, the US Supreme Court ruled that prisoners who win civil rights suits must pay 25 percent of the damages they recover toward awards of attorney’s fees.

The case concerned Charles Murphy, an Illinois inmate badly beaten by prison guards, who crushed his eye socket. Murphy sued the guards, winning about $307,000 and $108,000 in attorney’s fees. [Oyez article] (see Feb 28)

February 21 Peace Love Art Activism