June 18 Peace Love Art Activism

Native Americans

“Long Walk” home

June 18, 1868: the once-scattered bands of Navajo people who called themselves Diné, set off together on the return journey, the “Long Walk” home. This was one of the few instances where the U.S. government relocated a tribe to their traditional boundaries. The Navajos were granted 3.5 million acres of land inside their four sacred mountains. (see March 3, 1871)

Indian Reorganization Act

June 18, 1934: The Indian Reorganization Act, sometimes known as the Indian New Deal, secured certain rights to Native Americans (known in law as American Indians or Indians), including Alaska Natives. These rights include actions that contributed to the reversal of the Dawes Act’s privatization of communal holdings of American Indian tribes and a return to local self-government on a tribal basis. The Act also restored to Indians the management of their assets (being mainly land) and included provisions intended to create a sound economic foundation for the inhabitants of Indian reservations. [Living New Deal article]

World War II

From 1941 – 1945: some 44,000 Native Americans served in the United States military during World War II. For every one drafted, one and a half volunteered; American Indian participation in the war per capita exceeded any other group. The young men were drafted and, unlike Black Americans, served in integrated units.

Most notably were the 400-500 Native American Marines who served in the United States Marine Corps and whose primary job was the transmission of secret tactical messages. Code talkers transmitted these messages over military telephone or radio communications nets using formal or informally developed codes built upon their native languages. Their service improved communications in terms of speed of encryption at both ends in front line operations during World War II. [Native Voices article] (WWII, see Dec 7; Code Takers, see November 5, 2008; NA, see August 13, 1946)

Wounded Knee II trial

June 18, 1974:  after five months, the Government had still not gotten to the core if its case: that Dennis J Banks and Russell C Means led 30 Indians to seize and destroy Wounded Knee. (see Sept 17)

Pine Ridge Indian Reservation

June 18, 2012: Brendan Johnson, the US attorney for South Dakota said that prosecutors would re-examine the circumstances surrounding dozens of deaths that occurred on or near the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, many dating back to the 1970s when the reservation was embroiled in political violence. (see October 8, 2012)

Washington Redskins trademark

June 18, 2014: the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office cancelled six Washington Redskins trademarks, ruling that the polarizing moniker was “disparaging to Native Americans.” The decision did not require the team to change its name, but came at a time of increased pressure on the team to do so.

“We decide, based on the evidence properly before us, that these registrations must be cancelled because they were disparaging to Native Americans at the respective times they were registered,” the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board wrote in its opinion. [USA Today article] (see Sept 24)

June 18 Peace Love Art Activism

Vietnam

June 18, 1919: Nguyen Ai Quoc had worked to found the Association for Annamite Patriots, an organization composed of Vietnamese nationals living in France who opposed the French colonial occupation of Vietnam. He authored a petition demanding the end of the French colonial exploitation of Vietnam.

On this date he attempted to present his petition to President Woodrow Wilson. Wilson was not in his hotel suite and his secretary, though accepting the petition, never showed it to Wilson. (see In June 1923)

June 18 Peace Love Art Activism

BLACK HISTORY

Murray v. Pearson

June 18, 1935: NAACP lawyers Thurgood Marshall and Charles Hamilton Houston successfully argued the landmark case in Maryland that opened admissions to the University of Maryland School of Law on the basis of equal protection under the Fourteenth Amendment. [AAREG article] (BH, see February 14, 1936)

Executive Order 8802

June 18, 1941: civil rights leader A. Philip Randolph called off a march after a dramatic confrontation with President Franklin Roosevelt in the White House during which Roosevelt agreed to issue Executive Order 8802, prohibiting racial discrimination in government defense factories. [Our Documents] (see June 25)

Muhammad Ali

June 18, 1963: in his first foreign professional bout, Cassius Clay defeated British heavyweight champion Henry Cooper before fifty-five thousand fans in London. Cooper suffered a cut above his left eye, making this one of the bloodiest fights in Clay’s young career. Although knocked down in the fourth round,  the fight was stopped in the fifth round just as Clay had predicted to reporters before the fight. [Sports Illustrated artilce]  (BH, see June 19; Ali, see January 24, 1964)

Monson Motor Lodge

June 18, 1964: shouting “I’m cleaning the pool!”, James Brock — owner of the Monson Motor Lodge in St. Augustine, Florida — poured muriatic (hydrochloric) acid near several people taking part in an effort to integrate the hotel’s pool. (The muriatic acid, a cleaning agent used on concrete, was not strong enough to cause any injuries to the demonstrators.) [NPR article] (see June 19)

Stop and Frisk Policy

June 18, 2014: NY State Supreme Court Justice Anil Singh upheld the Community Safety Act passed by the City Council last year. Singe ruled that the NYC Council’s legislation was neither too vague nor was it preempted by state criminal procedure law, as its opponents had charged.

The judge also rejected a request from the Patrolmen’s Benevolent Association and the Sergeant’s Benevolent Association to issue an injunction against the measure.

“Local Law 71 does not prevent police officers from continuing to stop, question and frisk while utilizing their training and experience,” Singh wrote in a 35-page decision. “The law only seeks to deter the use of attributes such as race as the sole basis for an investigatory stop which is antithetical to our constitution and values,” the judge wrote, adding that the court understood cops had to make “split-second decisions” when conducting investigative stops. (see July 29)

Stephon Clark

June 18, 2019:  the city of Sacramento reached a partial “verbal settlement” with the family of Stephon Clark in a $20 million wrongful death lawsuit, which was filed in federal court in January.

According to court documents, the settlement addressed claims filed on the behalf of Clark’s two sons by their guardians. The exact amount was sealed by the court.

“After discussions with the Court, parties reached a verbal settlement as to the claims against defendants brought by A.C., C.C., and their guardians, subject to Sacramento City Council approval. Terms of the settlement stated on the record,” the court filing said. (B & S, see July 18; SC, see Sept 26)

June 18 Peace Love Art Activism

Human Rights

June 18, 1948: the United Nations Commission on Human Rights adopted the International Declaration of Human Rights. [UN site text]

June 18 Peace Love Art Activism

June 18 Music et al

Yeh-Heh-Heh-Heh, Baby

June 18, 1956: in a Time magazine article entitled, Yeh-Heh-Heh-Hes, Baby, the author describes Rock and Roll music as “…based on Negro blues, but in a self-conscious style which underlines the primitive qualities of the blues with malice, aforethought. Characteristics: an unrelenting, socking syncopation that sounds like a bull whip; a choleric saxophone honking mating-call sounds; an electric guitar turned up so loud that its sound shatters and splits; a vocal group that shudders and exercises violently to the beat while roughly chanting either a near-nonsense phrase or a moronic lyric in hillbilly idiom.” The article also mentioned several US cities that had tried to limit or eliminate rock and roll concerts. (see June 30)

Jimi Hendrix

June 18, 1967: The Jimi Hendrix Experience played their first show in the US at the Monterey International Pop Festival. Hendrix was pretty well established in the UK but very few in the audience that night knew what to expect. Hendrix had lost a coin toss with Pete Townshend deciding who was going to play first.

The Who ended their set by smashing the equipment. They had set the bar.

Hendrix came on and during his version of “Wild Thing” he lit his guitar on fire, resulting in one of the most iconic Rock and Roll pictures ever taken.

While Hendrix was on stage, Townshend had gone into the audience to watch the show. Pete was sitting next to “Mama” Cass Elliot of The Mamas & the Papas. Mama Cass leaned over to Pete and said “he’s stealing your act”. Townshend said “no, he’s not stealing my act – he’s doing my act.”

Townshend said later on, “for me, it was an act and for him, it was something else. It was an extension of what he was doing.” (see July 8)

The (bumpy) Road to Bethel

June 18, 1969: Samuel W Eager, a Middletown lawyer who had agreed to represent Woodstock Ventures (WV thinking a local lawyer would be better received than a NYC one), called Jack Scholsser (Wallkill Town Supervisor) and requested  an informal meeting between the members of the town board and the four Woodstock officers. It is set for June 19. (see  Chronology for expanded story)

‘A Day In The Life’

June 18, 2010: John Lennon’s handwritten lyrics to The Beatles song ‘A Day In The Life’ sold for $1.2m at an auction at Sotheby’s in New York. The double-sided sheet of paper with notes written in felt marker and blue ink also contained some corrections and other notes penned in red ink. (see Sept 7)

“Same Love”

June 18, 2012: Ben Haggerty, better known by his stage name Macklemore, released “Same Love” in support of same sex marriage. (“Same Love,” see November 30; LGBTQ, see July 17)

June 18 Peace Love Art Activism

Weather Underground

June 18 – 22, 1969:   Students for a Democratic Society SDS National Convention held in Chicago, Illinois. Publication of “Weatherman” founding statement. Members seized control of SDS National Office. (next Vietnam, see June 27; next WU, see Oct 5;  next Free Speech, see Oct 31)

June 18 Peace Love Art Activism

Pentagon Papers

June 18, 1971: The Washington Post published excerpts of the Pentagon Papers but is immediately enjoined from publishing additional excerpts. Eventually, 17 other papers will publish portions of the report. (see DE/PP for expanded story)

June 18 Peace Love Art Activism

LGBTQ

President Jimmy Carter

June 18, 1977: in a long interview in which he planned to highlight his family-friendly policies, President Jimmy Carter suggested that same-sex relationships were “not normal.” The issue came up in response to a question about allowing same-sex couples to adopt children. The comment alienated Carter’s lesbian and gay supporters. (see June 21)

June 18 Peace Love Art Activism

Nuclear/Chemical News

June 18, 1979: the United States and Soviet Union signed the SALT II nuclear arms limitation treaty. The treaty was part of a series of nuclear arms reduction treaties signed between the U.S. and U.S.S.R. SALT II was preceded by SALT I and followed by the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (START) and START II. (NN, see Oct 1; CW, see January 2, 1980)

June 18 Peace Love Art Activism

Feminism

Dr. Sally Ride

June 18, 1983: the space shuttle Challenger launched on its second mission. Aboard the shuttle was Dr. Sally Ride, who as a mission specialist became the first American woman to travel into space. During the six-day mission, Ride, an astrophysicist from Stanford University, operated the shuttle’s robot arm, which she had helped design. [NASA article on Ride] (see Aug 29)

Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori

June 18, 2006: Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori was elected the first female presiding bishop for the Episcopal Church, the U.S. arm of the global Anglican Communion. (see Nov 6)

June 18 Peace Love Art Activism

Religion and Public Education

June 18, 1993: the US Supreme Court ruled in Zobrest v. Catalina Foothills School District that the district may provide a sign language interpreter for a deaf child attending a Catholic high school without violating the establishment clause of the First Amendment. [Oyez article] (see in September 1996)

June 18 Peace Love Art Activism

IRAQ

June 18, 1993: Iraq refused to allow UNSCOM weapons inspectors to install remote-controlled monitoring cameras at 2 missile engine test stands. (see June 29)

June 18 Peace Love Art Activism

CLINTON IMPEACHMENT

June 18, 1998: sources tell CNN that three FBI agents have testified in secret affidavits that a plan to wire Monica Lewinsky and monitor her conversations did exist. The secret testimony refutes Ken Starr’s published denial of the plan, but does not specify that the conversations Starr’s prosecution wished to tape were with the president or Vernon Jordan. (see Clinton for expanded story)

June 18 Peace Love Art Activism

Sexual Abuse of Children

June 18, 2003:  following controversial remarks in which he said some church officials were being as secretive as members of the Mafia, former Oklahoma Gov. Charles Keating said he’ll resign as head of the church’s national panel on sex abuse. Los Angeles Cardinal Roger Mahony, whom Keating accused of listening “too much to his lawyer and not enough to his heart” in dealing with the panel’s investigation, called Keating’s comments “the last straw.” (see July 23)

June 18 Peace Love Art Activism

Women’s Health

Eric Rudolph sentenced

July 18, 2005: Eric Rudolph was sentenced to two consecutive life terms without parole for the January 29, 1998 murder of a police officer. (see January 31, 2006)

Church Bans Biden

June 18, 2021: the Roman Catholic bishops of the United States overwhelmingly voted to draft guidance on the sacrament of the Eucharist, advancing a push by conservative bishops to deny President Biden communion because of his support of abortion rights.

The decision was aimed at the nation’s second Catholic president, perhaps the most religiously observant commander in chief since Jimmy Carter, and exposed bitter divisions in American Catholicism. The measure was approved by a vote of 73 percent in favor and 24 percent opposed. [NYT article] (next WH, see Nov 10)

June 18 Peace Love Art Activism

DEATH PENALTY

Ronnie Lee Gardner

June 18, 2010: Utah executed convicted killer Ronnie Lee Gardner by firing squad. He became just the third person [all in Utah] in the last 33 years to be executed by being shot and likely one of the last. Utah has eliminated the firing squad (Gardner, convicted before the legal change, was grandfathered in) and it only remains legal as a means of execution in Oklahoma – even then, only as a backup. Gardner’s attorney said he chose the method of execution because it was ‘more humane’ than a lethal injection.”

“A hood was placed over Gardner’s head and a paper target pinned to his chest. He was heavily restrained as a five-person firing squad took aim at the target and shot him,” witnesses said. Gardner, 49, was convicted for the shooting death of attorney Michael Burdell during a botched escape attempt from custody in 1985 at a Salt Lake City, Utah, courthouse.

As of June 18, 2010, Gardner was the last person executed by firing squad in the US. [BBC article] (see August 2010)

Brumfield v. Cain

June 18, 2015 : in Brumfield v. Cain the US Supreme Court rule 5 – 4 that there was sufficient evidence that a death-row inmate in Louisiana could show he was impaired by an intellectual disability that he was entitled to have his claims under Atkins v. Virginia (which bars the execution of inmates with a mental disability)

Kevin Brumfield was convicted in 1995 of murdering off-duty Baton Rouge police officer Betty Smothers during an attempted bank robbery. He   remained on death row until the appeals court decided if the judge who held the hearing was correct to find that Brumfield was ineligible for the death penalty. [Oyez article] (see June 29)

June 18 Peace Love Art Activism

STAND YOUR GROUND LAW

June 18, 2013: Circuit Judge J. David Walsh sentenced Paul Miller, who shot a neighbor to death during an argument over barking dogs, to life in prison. (SYG, see July 19; Paul Miller, see Aug 8)

June 18 Peace Love Art Activism

Student Rights

June 18, 2015: Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed into law a measure to decriminalize unexcused absences and require school districts to implement preventive measures, The law that had sent about 100,000 students a year to adult criminal court for missing school.  (see Aug 17)

June 18 Peace Love Art Activism

Environmental Issues

June 18, 2015: Pope Francis called for a radical transformation of politics, economics and individual lifestyles to confront environmental degradation and climate change. His papal encyclical blended a biting critique of consumerism and irresponsible development with a plea for swift and unified global action.

Francis’s 184-page encyclical described a relentless exploitation and destruction of the environment, for which he blamed apathy, the reckless pursuit of profits, excessive faith in technology and political shortsightedness. The most vulnerable victims are the world’s poorest people, he declared, who are being dislocated and disregarded. (see June 22)

June 18 Peace Love Art Activism

June 18, 2015 US Supreme Court

Two FREE SPEECH decisions

#1:  Walker v. Texas Division, Sons of Confederate Veterans

In Walker v. Texas Division, Sons of Confederate Veterans, Inc., the Supreme Court ruled that Texas can prohibit vanity license plates containing an image of the Confederate battle flag. Texas excluded the group Sons of Confederate Veterans from its vanity plate program in 2011, saying “a significant portion of the public associates the Confederate flag with organizations advocating expressions of hate directed toward people or groups that is demeaning to those people or groups.”

The Sons of Confederate Veterans sued, contending the state violated the group’s free speech rights. The Supreme Court took the case to clarify ways to distinguish government speech from private speech. Texas argued that the license plate was government speech. The Sons of Confederate Veterans contended license plates are private speech by motorists, and the state has no business  meddling in the message. (see following)

#2: Reed v. Town of Gilbert

The Supreme Court unanimously ruled that an Arizona town had violated the First Amendment by placing limits on the size of signs announcing church services.

 The case, Reed v. Town of Gilbert, No. 13-502, concerned an ordinance in Gilbert, Ariz., that has differing restrictions on political, ideological and  directional signs. It was challenged by a church and its pastor.

All of the justices agreed that the distinctions drawn by the ordinance were impermissible. But they divided 6 to 3 on the rationale, with the majority  saying that all content-based laws require the most exacting form of judicial review, strict scrutiny, one that is exceptionally hard to satisfy.

   “Content-based laws — those that target speech based on its communicative content — are presumptively unconstitutional and may be justified  only if the government proves that they are narrowly tailored to serve compelling state interests,” Justice Clarence Thomas wrote for the majority. [Oyez article] (see   Aug 11)

Judicial Milestone

In Ohio v. Clark, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled unanimously that Cleveland prosecutors acted constitutionally when they relied on what an abused child told his teachers to convict a man of felonious assault. The justices overturned a decision last year by the Ohio Supreme Court in which the state justices threw out the conviction of Darius Clark because he was not given the right to confront his accuser. Because the child was so young, he was not deemed competent to testify at the trial, forcing prosecutors to rely on what he told his preschool teachers about the abuse.

  Writing for the court, Justice Samuel Alito ruled that “we have never suggested” that the Constitution “bars the introduction of all out-of-court  statements that support the prosecution’s case.” Alito wrote when the child told the teachers about his injuries, it was not “for the primary purpose of assisting in Clark’s prosecution” and could be admitted as evidence at trial. Under the Sixth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, a defendant has the  right to confront the witnesses testifying against him or her. [Justia article]

June 18 Peace Love Art Activism

Cannabis

June 18, 2015: Delaware became the 20th state to decriminalize the possession of small amounts of marijuana. Gov. Jack Markell (D) signed House Bill 39 into law not long after the state Senate approved the bill 12-9. No state Republican senators voted in favor of the bill and no Republicans supported it when it passed the House.The measure, introduced by state Rep. Helene Keeley (D) in the House and sponsored by Judiciary Committee Chair Margaret Rose Henry (D) in the Senate, removed criminal penalties for an adult in possession of up to one ounce of marijuana for personal use. Marijuana possession would be a civil offense punishable by $100 fine. Sales remain banned. [Vox article] (see July 1 or see CCC for expanded Cannabis chronology)

June 18 Peace Love Art Activism

Voting Rights

June 18, 2018:

• in Benisek v. Lamone the US Supreme Court unnanimously ruled ruled in an unsigned opinion against Republican voters who had challenged the congressional map drawn by Democratic lawmakers in Maryland.
• in Gill v Whitford, the US Supreme Court unanimously sent back the challenge to Wisconsin’s legislative map to the lower courts. The court said the plaintiffs there had not proved they had suffered the sort of direct injury that would give them standing to sue. The justices sent the case back to a trial court to allow the plaintiffs to try again to prove that their voting power had been directly affected by the way state lawmakers drew voting districts for the State Assembly. (see June 25)

June 18 Peace Love Art Activism

Immigration History

Separation of children

June 18, 2018: the investigative news site ProPublica released a recording of immigrant children calling out desperately for their parents after being separated from them by United States immigration authorities.

The recording, nearly eight minutes in length, added disturbing and intimate notes to the debate over the Trump administration’s practice of separating children from their parents when families are detained at the border. (see June 20)

DACA

June 18, 2020: NBC News reported that the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Trump administration could not carry out its plan to shut down the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, which had allowed nearly 800,000 young people, known as “Dreamers,” to avoid deportation and remain in the U.S.

The ruling said the government failed to give an adequate justification for ending the federal program. The administration could try again to shut it down by offering a more detailed explanation for its action, but the White House might not want to end such a popular program in the heat of a presidential campaign. (next IH, see June 22)

Undocumented Spousal Protection

June 18, 2024: President Biden announced new executive actions that would offer protection against deportation to an estimated half a million undocumented spouses of U.S. citizens.

The plan grants “parole in place” to undocumented people who had been in this country for at least 10 years. This measure would also allow eligible immigrants to apply for legal permanent status.

Additionally, it would extend a path to legality to noncitizen minors, and stepchildren of American citizens.

These executive actions included providing eligible immigrants with work permits. [NPR article] (next IH, see )

June 18 Peace Love Art Activism

June 17 Peace Love Art Activism

US Labor History

Arsenal explosion

June 17, 1864:  an accidental explosion killed twenty-one young women and girls making cartridges at the Washington, D.C. arsenal during the Civil War. Most of the victims were Irish immigrants. A monument was erected in the Congressional Cemetery, where 17 of the workers were buried. [Washington Times article] (see February 13, 1865)

“Mother” Jones”

June 17, 1903: Mary Harris “Mother” Jones led a rally in Philadelphia to focus public attention on children mutilated in the state’s textile mills. (see “in July“)

June 17 Peace Love Art Activism

Feminism

Voting Rights

June 17- 18, 1873: Susan B Anthony’s trial before Supreme Court Associate Justice Ward Hunt. U.S. District Attorney Richard Crowley presented the government’s case: “Miss Susan B. Anthony . . . upon the 5th day of November, 1872 . . . voted. . . . At that time she was a woman.”

Hunt refused to allow Anthony to testify on her own behalf, allowed statements given by her at the time of her arrest to be allowed as “testimony,” explicitly ordered the jury to return a guilty verdict, refused to poll the jury afterwards, and read an opinion he had written before the trial even started. The sentence was a $100 fine, but not imprisonment; true to her word in court (“I shall never pay a dollar of your unjust penalty”), she never paid the fine for the rest of her life. (F & VR, see March 29, 1874; Susan B Anthony conviction, see August 18, 2020)

Amelia Earhart

June 17, 1928: Amelia Earhart embarked on the first trans-Atlantic flight by a woman. She flew from Newfoundland to Wales in about 21 hours. [NASA article] (see April 19, 1929)

June 17 Peace Love Art Activism

Black History

Dred Scott

June 17, 1876: Harriet Scott died at the home of her daughter Lizzie and son-in-law’s Wilson Madison. She was buried June 20, 1876, in Section C of Greenwood Cemetery in St. Louis County. (see Scotts for expanded story)

Fair Housing

June 17, 1968: Jones v. Alfred H. Mayer Co. The US Supreme Court held that Congress could regulate the sale of private property in order to prevent racial discrimination. [Cornell Law article] (see August 1, 1968)

South Africa

June 17, 1991: South Africa repealed the Population Registration Act. Since its passage in 1950, the Act had required every South African to be racially classified at birth. These classifications, in turn, would determined the child’s social and political rights for the rest of his or her life in South Africa. [LA Times article] (see December 20, 1991)

Boipatong massacre

June 17, 1992: a mob descended on the black township of Boipatong, killing more than 40 people with guns, knives and axes. The A.N.C. contended that Zulu men and white police officers were responsible for the violence. The two sides do not return to negotiations until September. [Face to Face article] (see June 23)

Rodney King

June 17, 2012: Rodney King, 47, was found dead in his swimming pool, according to police and his fiance, Cynthia Kelly. [NYT article] (BH, see July 27)

Stop and Frisk Policy

June 17, 2012: civil rights leaders organized a series of silent marches across the country to protest the police practice of “stops and frisks,” which they argued targeted young African-American men. The silent marches were modeled after the famous Silent March Against Lynching in New York City, on July 28, 1917, sponsored by the NAACP. (see Sept 28)

137 SHOTS

June 17, 2014: the Department of Justice opened a wide-ranging civil rights investigation into the Cleveland case that could lead to years of court oversight and mandated controls on the use of force. (see 137 for expanded story)

Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church massacre

June 17, 2015: Dylann Storm, Roof, 21, opened fire at Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church (Charleston, SC) around 9 p.m. and began shooting, killing nine people before fleeing. He was captured several hours later.

Police chief, Greg Mullen, called the shooting a hate crime.

“This is a tragedy that no community should have to experience,” he said. “It is senseless and unfathomable that someone would go into a church where people were having a prayer meeting and take their lives.” Eight people died at the scene, Mullen said. Two people were taken to the Medical University of South Carolina, and one of them died on the way.

On May 30, 1822, one of the church’s co-founders, Denmark Vesey, had tried to foment a slave rebellion in Charleston, the church’s website says. The plot was foiled by the authorities and 35 people were executed, including Mr. Vesey. [GQ article on Roof] (BH, see June 22; Terrorism, see June 23; SR, see ; Dylann Roof, see January 10, 2017)

Tuskegee syphilis study

June 17, 2017: the Trump administration opposed a bid to use unclaimed money from the legal settlement over the government’s infamous Tuskegee syphilis study to fund a museum honoring victims of the research project.

The Justice Department argued in court documents recently that providing the money to the Tuskegee Human and Civil Rights Multicultural Center would violate an agreement reached in 1975 to settle a class-action lawsuit. For the study, hundreds of black men suffering from the sexually transmitted disease were allowed to go untreated for decades so doctors could analyze the progression of the illness.

The government said that it “does not intend in any way to justify, condone, or defend the Tuskegee Syphilis Study,” but allowing remaining money from a $9 million settlement to be used for the museum would violate the settlement’s original provision that any left over money go back to the government.

Fred Gray, a civil rights attorney who represented men in the study and made the funding request in 2016, declined comment on the government’s position. (see July 25)

Aunt Jemima

June 17, 2020: NBC News reported that Quaker Oats had announced that the Aunt Jemima brand of syrup and pancake mix would get a new name and image, saying the company recognized that “Aunt Jemima’s origins are based on a racial stereotype.”

The 130-year-old brand features a Black woman named Aunt Jemima, who was originally dressed as a minstrel character.

The picture has changed over time, and in recent years Quaker removed the “mammy” kerchief from the character to blunt growing criticism that the brand perpetuated a racist stereotype that dated to the days of slavery. But Quaker, a subsidiary of PepsiCo, said removing the image and name is part of an effort by the company “to make progress toward racial equality.”

“We recognize Aunt Jemima’s origins are based on a racial stereotype,” Kristin Kroepfl, vice president and chief marketing officer of Quaker Foods North America, said in a press release. “As we work to make progress toward racial equality through several initiatives, we also must take a hard look at our portfolio of brands and ensure they reflect our values and meet our consumers’ expectations.”

Within hours of the Quaker Oats announcement, at least three more food companies rushed to respond to complaints about other brands that have been criticized for using racial stereotypes.

Mars Food, the owner of the brand Uncle Ben’s rice, which featured an older black man smiling on the box, said on Wednesday afternoon that it would “evolve” the brand as protests over racism and police brutality across the country continue.

“We recognize that now is the right time to evolve the Uncle Ben’s brand, including its visual brand identity, which we will do,” said Caroline Sherman, a spokeswoman for Mars. The company does not know the nature of the changes, or the timing, she said, “but we are evaluating all possibilities.”

Shortly after that announcement, ConAgra Brands, the maker of Mrs. Butterworth’s pancake syrup, released a statement saying the company had begun a “complete brand and package review.” (next BH, see June 24)

June 17 Peace Love Art Activism

Native Americans

Battle of the Rosebud

June 17, 1876: Sioux and Cheyenne Indians scored a tactical victory over General George Crook’s forces at the Battle of the Rosebud, foreshadowing the disaster of the Battle of Little Big Horn eight days later.

General George Crook was in command of one of three columns of soldiers converging on the Big Horn country of southern Montana that June. A large band of Sioux and Cheyenne Indians under the direction of Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, and several other chiefs had congregated in the area in defiance of U.S. demands that the Indians confine themselves to reservations. The army viewed the Indians’ refusal as an opportunity to dispatch a massive three-pronged attack and win a decisive victory over the “hostile” Indians.

Crook’s column, marching north from Fort Fetterman in Wyoming Territory, was to join with two others: General Gibbon’s column coming east from Fort Ellis in Montana Territory, and General Terry’s force coming west from Fort Abraham Lincoln in Dakota Territory. Terry’s force included the soon-to-be-famous 7th Cavalry under the command of George Custer. The vast distances and lack of reliable communications made it difficult to coordinate, but the three armies planned to converge on the valley of the Big Horn River and stage an assault on an enemy whose location and size was only vaguely known.

The plan quickly ran into trouble. As Crook approached the Big Horn, his Indian scouts informed him they had found signs of a major Sioux force that must still be nearby. Crook was convinced that the Sioux were encamped in a large village somewhere along the Rosebud Creek just east of the Big Horn. Like most of his fellow officers, Crook believed that Indians were more likely to flee than stand and fight, and he was determined to find the village and attack before the Sioux could escape into the wilderness. Crook’s Indian allies—262 Crow and Shoshone warriors—were less certain. They suspected the Sioux force was under the command of Crazy Horse, thee brilliant war chief. Crazy Horse, they warned, was too shrewd to give Crook an opportunity to attack a stationary village.

Crook soon learned that his allies were right. Around 8 a.m, Crook halted his force of about 1,300 men in the bowl of a small valley along the Rosebud Creek in order to allow the rear of the column to catch up. Crook’s soldiers unsaddled and let their horses graze while they relaxed in the grass and enjoyed the cool morning air. The American soldiers were out in the open, divided, and unprepared. Suddenly, several Indian scouts rode into the camp at a full gallop. “Sioux! Sioux!” they shouted. “Many Sioux!” Within minutes, a mass of Sioux warriors began to converge on the army.

A force of at least 1,500 mounted Sioux warriors caught Crook’s soldiers by surprise. Crazy Horse had kept an additional 2,500 warriors in reserve to finish the attack. Fortunately for Crook, one segment of his army was not caught unprepared. His 262 Crow and Shoshone allies had taken up advanced positions about 500 yards from the main body of soldiers. With astonishing courage, the Indian warriors boldly countercharged the much larger invading force. They managed to blunt the initial attack long enough for Crook to regroup his men and send soldiers forward to support his Indian allies. The fighting continued until noon, when the Sioux-perhaps hoping to draw Crook’s army into an ambush—retreated from the field.

The combined force of 4,000 Sioux warriors had outnumbered Crook’s divided and unprepared army by more than three to one. Had it not been for the wisdom and courage of Crook’s Indian allies, Americans today might well remember the Battle of the Rosebud as they do the subsequent Battle of the Little Big Horn. As it was, Crook’s team was badly bloodied—28 men were killed and 56 were seriously wounded.

Crook had no choice but to withdraw and regroup. Crazy Horse had lost only 13 men and his warriors were emboldened by their successful attack on the American soldiers. Eight days later, they would join with their tribesmen in the Battle of the Little Big Horn, which would wipe out George Custer and his 7th Cavalry. (see June 25)

June 17 Peace Love Art Activism

Bonus March

June 17, 1932: after the House had passed the bill on June 15, the Senate voted down Patman bill. Infuriated marchers refused to return home. In an increasingly tense situation, the federal government provided money for the protesters’ trip home, but 2,000 refused the offer and continued to protest. (see July 28)

June 17 Peace Love Art Activism

INDEPENDENCE DAY

June 17, 1944:  Iceland officially gained its independence (it had partially gained independence on December 1, 1918) (see July 3)

June 17 Peace Love Art Activism

Cold War

June 17, 1950:  Julius Rosenberg was arrested on suspicion of espionage and accused of heading a spy ring that passed top-secret information concerning the atomic bomb to the Soviet Union. His wife Ethel was arrested two months later. The Rosenbergs were implicated by David Greenglass, Ethel’s younger brother and a former army sergeant and machinist at Los Alamos, the secret atomic bomb lab in New Mexico. Greenglass, who himself had confessed to providing nuclear secrets to the Soviets through an intermediary, testified against his sister and brother-in-law in court. He later served 10 years in prison. [Washington Post article] (Red Scare, see June 22; Rosenbergs, see March 6, 1951; NN, see November 30, 1950)

June 17 Peace Love Art Activism

Immigration History

“Operation Wetback”

June 17, 1954: “Operation Wetback” was a federal immigration enforcement effort directed at Mexicans who had entered the U.S. illegally. The offensive name of the program was symptomatic of the cultural and political climate of the times. An estimated 107,000 people were arrested between May and July 1954, and eventually an estimated 1,078,168 people were seized. The program was marked by abuse: people seized had no opportunity to recover their personal property, and many were left stranded in Mexico without food. [NPR article] (see Nov 12)

The Soledad accident

June 17, 1958: a truck converted into a transport bus for Mexican migrant farm workers caught fire, killing 14 and severely injuring 17. Fifty men were riding in the vehicle when two gasoline cans inside the bus caught fire, possibly from a cigarette. The bus had solid wooden sides and a metal top, and the only exits were two high rear gates that were chained shut from the outside.

The migrant farm workers, known generally by the Spanish term “braceros,” had come to the US through a federal program initiated in August 1942 to alleviate labor shortages caused by World War II. The program continued after the war, as growers did not want the flow of cheap labor to stop. Over the next two decades, hundreds of thousands of braceros came to work in American fields, often enduring arduous, unsafe conditions.

The Soledad accident was one of over 1200 farm transportation accidents involving braceros between 1953 and 1962 in California alone; 159 braceros were killed in those accidents and almost 3000 were seriously injured. The greatest death toll occurred on September 17, 1963, when a train plowed into another makeshift bus carrying braceros in Chualar, California: 32 men were killed and 25 injured. Despite these accidents, state officials rarely took action to enforce safety regulations, let alone punish transgressors.

The bracero program ended in 1964, in large part due to union pressure to eliminate foreign competition for farmworker jobs and thus raise wages and improve working conditions for domestic farm laborers. (Labor, see September 14, 1959; Immigration/bracero, see December 31, 1964)

June 17 Peace Love Art Activism

FREE SPEECH

“Red Monday”

June 17, 1957: known as “Red Monday,” this day marked a historic turning point for the Supreme Court. The Court issued four rulings, all of which struck down anti-Communist measures. The overall impact of the four decisions was enormous, and in the view of many people they marked the beginning of the end of the anti-Communist hysteria of the Cold War.

Yates v. United States overturned the conviction of “second tier” Communist Party leaders and severely weakened the Smith Act, under which the top leadership of the Communist Party had been convicted in 1949. The Supreme Court had upheld the constitutionality of the Smith Act in Dennis v. United States on June 4, 1951. Yates, however, greatly narrowed the interpretation of the Smith Act and drew a sharper distinction between advocacy, which is protected by the First Amendment, and action, which is not. (One adverse impact of the Yates decision, however, was that by limiting the use of the Smith Act against the Communist Party, it encouraged the FBI to make greater use of the secret and illegal COINTELPRO program) [Justia article]   Watkins v. United States overturned the conviction of a leftist labor leader for refusing the answer questions about his political beliefs and associations. The Court held that the power of Congress to investigate private matters was not unlimited, and the decision placed new limits on HUAC. [Oyez article]   Sweezy v. New Hampshire held that an investigation by the New Hampshire Attorney General into the alleged subversive activities of Paul Sweezy denied him due process of law under the Fourteenth Amendment.   Service v. Dulles,the Court held that John S. Service, an American diplomat, had been fired by the Secretary of State on grounds of disloyalty, in violation of the State Department’s own procedures. [Oyez article] (see June 24)

June 17 Peace Love Art Activism

Religion and Public Education

Abington School District v. Schempp

June 17, 1963: the US Supreme Court ruled that a Pennsylvania law requiring the reading of Biblical scriptures in public schools was a violation of the establishment clause. The Court rejected the state’s argument that the daily exercise was designed to teach moral values, not religious doctrine. [Oyez article] (see March 8, 1965)

June 17 Peace Love Art Activism

June 17 Music et al

see Furthur Departs  for more

June 17, 1964: Ken  Kesey and 13 Merry Pranksters boarded “Furthur” at Kesey’s ranch in La Honda, California, and set off eastward. Kesey wanted to see what would happen when hallucinogenic-inspired spontaneity confronted what he saw as the banality and conformity of American society. One author has suggested that the bus trip reversed the historic American westward movement of the centuries. (next LSD, see August 1964)

Beatles world tour

June 17, 1964: Melbourne, Australia. Opening acts: Johnny Devlin, Johnny Chester (both from Australia) and Sounds Incorporated (from UK). Beatle set: I Saw Her Standing There, You Can’t Do That, All My Loving, She Loves You, Till There Was You, Roll Over Beethoven, Can’t Buy Me Love, Twist And Shout and Long Tall Sally. During Long Tall Sally, a male audience member rushed onto the stage to shake John Lennon’s hand. (see June 26)

Herb Albert

June 17 – 23, 1967: Herb Albert’s Sounds Like… is the Billboard #1 album.

June 17 Peace Love Art Activism

Cannabis

June 17, 1971:  President Nixon said: “America’s public enemy number one in the United States is drug abuse. In order to fight and defeat this enemy, it is necessary to wage a new, all-out offensive.

I have asked the Congress to provide the legislative authority and the funds to fuel this kind of an offensive. This will be a worldwide offensive dealing with the problems of sources of supply, as well as Americans who may be stationed abroad, wherever they are in the world…

I have brought Dr. Jerome H. Jaffe into the White House, directly reporting to me as Special Consultant to the President for Narcotics and Dangerous Drugs], so that we have not only the responsibility but the authority to see that we wage this offensive effectively and in a coordinated way.” (see Cannabis Continued for expanded chronology) 

June 17 Peace Love Art Activism

Pentagon Papers 

June 17, 1971: Daniel and Patricia Ellsberg went underground after Daniel Ellsberg was identified by reporter Sidney Zion as the probable source for the Pentagon Papers. (see DE/PP for expanded story see June 18)

June 17 Peace Love Art Activism

Watergate Scandal

June 17, 1972: police arrested five burglars in the Democratic National Committee headquarters at the Watergate office and apartment complex in Washington, D.C. James McCord, Frank Sturgis, Bernard Barker, Virgilio Gonzalez, and Eugenio Martinez were apprehended in the early morning after a security guard at the Watergate noticed that several doors leading from the stairwell to various hallways had been taped to prevent them from locking. The intruders were wearing surgical gloves and carrying walkie-talkies, cameras, and almost $2,300 in sequential $100 bills. A subsequent search of their rooms at the Watergate turned up an additional $4,200, burglary tools, and electronic bugging equipment. (see Watergate for expanded story)

June 17 Peace Love Art Activism

Falklands War

June 17, 1982: Argentine President Leopoldo Galtieri resigned as leader of the country’s military junta.

June 17 Peace Love Art Activism

Sexual Abuse of Children

June 17, 1985: The Rev. Gilbert Gauthe of the Lafayette, La., diocese pleaded guilty to molesting 11 boys and admitted victimizing dozens more. In a widening scandal, 19 other priests are accused of abuse, and the diocese negotiates costly out-of-court settlements with victims.

In 1988  Barbara Blaine founded Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests (SNAP). Blaine had been abused as an 8th grade child by a Toledo, Ohio priest who taught in the Catholic school she attended. Years later, after her pleas for help from Toledo’s bishop fell on deaf ears. Barbara realized that survivors of clergy abuse could help each other and, by mid 1988, she had built a network of about two dozen victims.

In 1989 Hawaii’s Joseph Ferrario became the first U.S. bishop accused of molestation. A court dismissed the charges because they were filed too late, but Ferrario, who denied the charges, retired early in 1993. (see February 27, 1990)

June 17 Peace Love Art Activism

LGBTQ

California

June 17, 2008:  hundreds of same-sex couples got married across California on the first full day that gay marriage became legal by order of the state’s highest court. (see October 10, 2008)

Federal employees

June 17, 2009: President Obama signed a Presidential Memorandum allowing same-sex partners of federal employees to receive certain benefits. The memorandum does not cover full health coverage. (see Aug 17)

Southern Baptist Convention

June 17, 2015: officials with the Southern Baptist Convention issued a statement saying they would reject any ruling by the U.S. Supreme Court that affirmed same-sex marriage.

“We will not accept, nor adhere to, any legal redefinition of marriage issued by any political or judicial body including the United States Supreme Court,” said the joint statement by SBC President Rev. Ronnie Floyd as well as past presidents.

It added, “We will not recognize same-sex ‘marriages,’ our churches will not host same-sex ceremonies, and we will not perform such ceremonies.” (see June 22)

Transgender Students Protected

June 16, 2021: the Education Department said that transgender students were protected under Title IX, a law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in federally funded schools, reversing a Trump-era policy that effectively had said the opposite.

“We just want to double down on our expectations,” Miguel A. Cardona, the education secretary, said in an interview. “Students cannot be discriminated against because of their sexual orientation or their gender identity.”

The decision was rooted in a Supreme Court ruling last year that determined that protections in the Civil Rights Act against discrimination in the workplace extended to gay and transgender people, and similar interpretations of the ruling have appeared in agencies throughout President Biden’s government. His administration had conducted a sweeping effort to rescind, revise or revoke a number of Trump-era policies that rolled back transgender rights.  [NYT article] (next LGBTQ, see )

June 17 Peace Love Art Activism

Voting Rights

Arizona v. Inter Tribal Council of Arizona, No. 12-71

June 17, 2013: the US Supreme court rejected an Arizona voting law that required proof of citizenship. Justice Antonin Scalia, wrote for the majority and said a federal law requiring states to “accept and use” a federal form displaced an Arizona law. [Oyez article] (see June 25)

Legislative districts Virginia

June 17, 2019: in Virginia House of Delegates v. Bethune-Hill, the US Supreme Court decided that legislative districts in Virginia that the Court had previously said were racially gerrymandered would remain in their redrawn form.

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg wrote majority decision. She noted that because the entirety of state government wasn’t suing to keep the fight going — the case was brought by the state’s GOP-controlled House — then it was throwing the case out.

“In short, Virginia would rather stop than fight on,” Ginsburg wrote. “One House of its bicameral legislature cannot alone continue the litigation against the will of its partners in the legislative process.” (next VR, see May 24, 2020)

June 17 Peace Love Art Activism

Crime and Punishment

June 17, 2019: in Gamble v. United States, The US Supreme Court ruled 7 – 2 against Terance Gamble, who had claimed his prosecution for gun offenses on both the state and federal level violated the Double Jeopardy Clause.

Such double prosecutions had been condoned for years under the longstanding “separate sovereigns” exception, which the Supreme Court declined to overturn in this case. (see June 21)

June 17 Peace Love Art Activism

Environmental Issues

June 17, 2019: in Virginia Uranium, Inc. v. Warren, the US Supreme Court upheld Virginia’s 37-year-old uranium mining ban. The ban had been challenged by Virginia Uranium, which had sought to mine a large uranium deposit in Pittsylvania County.

“We have long supported Virginia’s decision to protect its communities from the environmental and economic risks of uranium mining,” said Southern Environmental Law Center Senior Attorney Mark Sabath. “We are pleased that the Court respected that decision and recognized that it was one for Virginia to make.”

SELC filed an amicus curiae, or “friend of the court,” brief in the case on behalf of the Roanoke River Basin Association, Dan River Basin Association, and Piedmont Environmental Council, arguing that regulating mining has traditionally been an area of state—not federal—authority.

The mining company, backed by the Trump administration, had argued that in banning uranium mining, Virginia had interfered with the federal government’s exclusive authority under the Atomic Energy Act to regulate uranium processing and radioactive waste management. The Supreme Court disagreed and affirmed a lower court’s dismissal of the lawsuit. [SELC article] (see June 19)

June 17 Peace Love Art Activism

Affordable Care Act & Healthcare

June 17, 2021: in a 7 to 2 vote, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the Affordable Care Act for the third time, leaving in place the broad provisions of the law enacted by Congress in 2010.

The opinion, written by Justice Stephen Breyer, was joined by Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Clarence Thomas, Sonia Sotomayor, Elena Kagan, Brett Kavanaugh and Amy Coney Barrett.

Justices Samuel Alito and Neil Gorsuch dissented. They would have struck down the most popular parts of the law, including the provision barring discrimination based on preexisting medical conditions.

But the majority decision threw out the challenge to the law on the grounds that Texas and other objecting GOP-dominated states were not required to pay anything under the mandate provision and thus had no standing to bring the challenge to court.

“To have standing, a plaintiff must ‘allege personal injury fairly traceable to the defendant’s allegedly unlawful conduct and likely to be redressed by the requested relief,’ ” but “No plaintiff has shown such an injury,” the court said. [NPR article] (next HC, see ; next ACA, see )

June 17 Peace Love Art Activism

June 16 Peace Love Art Activism

BLACK HISTORY

Dred Scott

June 16, 1858,: With the recent Dred Scott Supreme Court decision in mind, and accepting the Illinois Republican Party’s nomination as that state’s United States senator, Abraham Lincoln delivered his “House divided” speech.

Part of his speech included: A house divided against itself cannot stand. I believe this government cannot endure, permanently, half slave and half free. I do not expect the Union to be dissolved — I do not expect the house to fall — but I do expect it will cease to be divided. It will become all one thing or all the other. Either the opponents of slavery will arrest the further spread of it, and place it where the public mind shall rest in the belief that it is in the course of ultimate extinction; or its advocates will push it forward, till it shall become alike lawful in all the States, old as well as new — North as well as South.(next BH, see Sept 13; see Scott for expanded story)

 George Stinney, Jr 

June 16, 1944: Stinney, 14, became the youngest person to die in the electric chair (BH, see July 16; DP, see January 31, 1945; see Stinney for expanded story)

Freedom Riders (Florida)

June 16, 1961: the Florida Freedom Riders, trying to integrate the airport’s segregated restaurant, were arrested and charged with unlawful assembly.

Freedom Riders (Mississippi)

June 16, 1961: in a meeting at the Justice Department, Freedom Ride leader Diane Nash rebuffed the effort of Attorney General Robert Kennedy to get her and other young civil rights activists to shift their focus from direct action (such as sit-ins and the Freedom Ride) to voter registration. Kennedy hinted that if they abandoned direct action in favor of voter registration, certain benefits would come their way, such as grants from private foundations. A few members of Nash’s groups were tempted, but most agreed with her on the need to continue the Freedom Ride and other direct action in support of civil rights. (see June 22)

Church Burning

June 16, 1964: from the NYT: Night riders struck Neshoba County in north-central Mississippi Tuesday when a Negro church was surrounded by armed white men, most of them masked. Three Negroes attending a church board meeting were beaten and were chased away. A short time later the church went up in flames. (BH, see June 18; CB, see June 25)

Black Power

June 16, 1966: during the March Against Fear, Stokely Carmichael said: “This is the twenty-seventh time I have been arrested and I ain’t going to jail no more! The only way we gonna stop them white men from whuppin’ us is to take over. What we gonna start sayin’ now is Black Power!”

Stokely Carmichael saw the concept of “Black Power” as a means of solidarity between individuals within the movement. With his conception and articulation of the word, he felt this movement was not just a movement for racial desegregation, but rather a movement to help combat America’s crippling racism. He was quoted in saying: “For the last time, ‘Black Power’ means black people coming together to form a political force and either electing representatives or forcing their representatives to speak their needs.” (BH, see June 23; ; Carmichael, see October 29)

Kenneth Gibson

June 16, 1970: Kenneth Gibson elected first Black mayor of Newark, NJ. [Black Past article] (see in July)

SOUTH AFRICA/APARTHEID

June 16, 1976: tens of thousands of students took to the streets of Soweto to oppose the use of Afrikaans as the language of instruction in black schools. The police fire on the protesters, setting off months of violence that will leave more than 570 people dead. The uprising is considered a turning point in the history of black resistance to apartheid. [Newsweek article] (see Nov 9)

Michael Donald

June 16, 1983: authorities charged Ku Klux Klansmen James Knowles, 19 years old, and Henry Hays, 28, both from Mobile County, in the March 20, 1981 death by beating of black teenager Michael Donald. [NYT article] (next BH, Aug 30;  next Lynching & Donald, see February 1987; for expanded chronology of lynching, see also AL4)

Thabo Mbeki

June 16, 1999: Thabo Mbeki inaugurated as Mandela’s successor as president of South Africa after another electoral victory for the A.N.C. After five years with Mr. Mandela at the helm, the country still faced serious problems of poverty and crime, but it had made the transition to democracy while maintaining widespread respect for the law and avoiding political revenge killings. [Mbeki Foundation profile] (see NM for expanded Mandela chronology; see June 1, 2004; SA/A, see January 30, 2015)

BLACK & SHOT/Philando Castile

June 16, 2017: a St Paul, Minnesota jury acquitted Jeronimo Yanez, a Minnesota police officer, of all charges in shooting, Philando Castile dead, Yanez, an officer for the suburb of St. Anthony, had been charged with second-degree manslaughter and endangering safety by discharging a firearm in the shooting. [NYT article] (B & S, see June 20; Castile, see June 26)

Philadelphia 15

June 16, 2023: just over a year before the attack on Pearl Harbor, 15 sailors assigned to the U.S.S. Philadelphia wrote a letter to a Black newspaper detailing the abuse and indignities they had faced on the warship solely because of the color of their skin.

When they enlisted, the Navy had promised training and assignments that would lead to advancement, but the Black sailors soon found that those opportunities did not exist for them. They were forced to be servants for the ship’s officers, “limited to waiting on tables and making beds” as so-called mess attendants, they wrote.

For daring to speak out, a few of the men were jailed and all of them were kicked out of the Navy with discharges that forever labeled them as unfit to serve.

The plight of the group, which became known as “the Philadelphia 15,” faded from public attention as World War II erupted. But the injustice they faced, and the stigma their discharge papers carried, lived on for more than 80 years.

On this date in a ceremony at the Pentagon’s Hall of Heroes, four surviving family members of two of those men, brothers John and James Ponder, accepted a formal apology from the Navy for the racist treatment their loved ones had endured as sailors aboard their ship.

The service also presented the family with newly issued honorable discharges for the Ponder brothers and announced that the discharges for the rest of the Philadelphia 15 had been upgraded as well.

“This is something — a wrong that shouldn’t have happened,” Larry Ponder, 72, son of John Ponder, said in an interview. “My dad and the Philadelphia 15, they were just whistle-blowers. All they did was inform the general public about them being mistreated.”

“They tried to do what was right through the chain of command but it didn’t go anywhere — so they wrote that letter.” [NYT article]  (next BH, see June 29)

 

June 16 Peace Love Art Activism

Anarchism in the US

Emma Goldman

June 16, 1917: Goldman and Alexander Berkman were indicted on the charge of obstructing the Draft Act (Selective Service Act) in NYC. They pled not guilty. Bail set at $25,000 each. (see Goldman for expanded story)

Eugene V. Debs

June 16, 1918: Socialist Party leader Eugene V. Debs delivered an anti-war speech in Canton, Ohio, at a meeting of the local Socialist Party. Aware of the danger of federal prosecution (U.S. agents were in the audience), he carefully did not mention World War I or criticize President Woodrow Wilson. The speech was a generic Socialist criticism of war. (Anarchism, see Aug 30; Debs, see Sept 14)

June 16 Peace Love Art Activism

Fair Housing

June 16, 1933: the National Industrial Recovery Act passed. Title II, Section 202 of the Act provided for permanent, federally funded housing. It directed the Public Works Administration (PWA) to develop a program for the “construction, reconstruction, alteration, or repair under public regulation or control of low-cost housing and slum-clearance projects...”. Led by the Housing Division of the PWA and headed by architect Robert Kohn, the initial, Limited-Dividend Program aimed to provide low-interest loans to public or private groups to fund the construction of low-income housing. [Our Documents] (see June 27, 1934)

June 16 Peace Love Art Activism

Judicial Milestone

June 16, 1958: in the case of Kent v. Dulles, the Supreme Court held that the right to travel overseas was a “liberty” enjoyed by citizens, which could not be denied without due process of law. Rockwell Kent was a noted artist, with left-wing views, who had been denied a passport on August 7, 1950, blocking his plan to attend the World Council of Peace in Helsinki, Finland. [Justia article] (see March 18, 1963)

June 16 Peace Love Art Activism

Vietnam

JFK and Nguyen Dinh Thuan

June 16, 1961: following a meeting between President John F. Kennedy and South Vietnam envoy Nguyen Dinh Thuan, an agreement is reached for direct training and combat supervision of Vietnamese troops by U.S. instructors. South Vietnamese President Ngo Dinh Diem had earlier asked Kennedy to send additional U.S. troops to train the South Vietnamese Army. U.S. advisers had been serving in Vietnam since 1955 as part of the U.S. Military Assistance Advisory Group. There would be only 900 U.S. military personnel in South Vietnam at the end of 1961, but in accordance with President Kennedy’s pledge to provide American military assistance to South Vietnam, the number of U.S. personnel rose to 3,200 by the end of 1962. The number would climb until it reached 16,000 by the time of President Kennedy’s assassination in November 1963. (see November 16, 1961)

South Vietnam Leadership

June 16, 1963: President Diem and Buddhist negotiations issued a joint communique meant to defuse the religious conflict: the ban on religious flags would be eased and the Hue incident of May 8 would be fully investigated.(V & SVL, see Aug 21)

21,000 more U.S. troops

June 16, 1965: Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara announced that the US would send 21,000 more U.S. troops to Vietnam. He also claimed that it was now known that North Vietnamese regular troops had begun to infiltrate South Vietnam. The new U.S. troops were to join the U.S. Marines and paratroopers from the 173rd Airborne Brigade that had arrived earlier to secure U.S. airbases and facilities. These forces would soon transition from defensive missions to direct combat operations. As the war escalated, more and more U.S. combat troops were sent to South Vietnam. By 1969, there were over 540,000 American troops in Vietnam. (see June 26)

June 16 Peace Love Art Activism

Space Race

June 16, 1963: the Soviet Union launched the first female space traveler, Valentina Tereshkova, into orbit aboard Vostok 6. During her three-day mission, she performed various tests on herself to collect data on the female body’s reaction to spaceflight. Before being recruited as a cosmonaut, Tereshkova was a textile factory assembly worker and an amateur parachutist. The American program, which had drawn astronauts from active duty military pilots, employed no female astronauts. [NASA article] (see Nov 22)

June 16 Peace Love Art Activism

June 16 Music et al

see WOR-FM for more

June 16, 1966: announcement that NY radio station WOR-FM would be first NYC FM station to play rock and roll music on a “regular basis.” (next Roots, see July 31)

Monterey International Pop Music Festival

June 16 – 18, 1967: a three-day concert event held at the Monterey County Fairgrounds in Monterey, California. Monterey was the first widely promoted and heavily attended rock festival, with up to 90,000 people present at the event’s peak at midnight on Sunday.

The festival is remembered for the first major American appearances by Jimi Hendrix, The Who and Ravi Shankar, the first large-scale public performance of Janis Joplin, and the introduction of Otis Redding to a large, predominantly white audience.

The Monterey Pop Festival embodied the themes of California as a focal point for the counterculture and is generally regarded as one of the beginnings of the “Summer of Love” in 1967, along with the Fantasy Fair and Magic Mountain Music Festival held at Mount Tamalpais in Marin County a week earlier. Monterey became the template for future music festivals, notably the Woodstock Festival two years later. (see June 28 – 29, 1967)

June 16, 1969 and the [bumpy] Road to Bethel

• Just after midnight a meeting was held about festival security. Wes Pomeroy insisted on a “soft” approach. The Peace Service Corps. 
• Woodstock Ventures issued a statement to the press defending its position in the town of Wallkill. (see Chronology for expanded story)

June 16 Peace Love Art Activism

Sirhan Sirhan

June 16, 1972, Sirhan Sirhan sentence commuted to life in prison, owing to the California Supreme Court’s decision in People v. Anderson, (The People of the State of California v. Robert Page Anderson, 493 P.2d 880, 6 Cal. 3d 628 (Cal. 1972)), which ruled capital punishment a violation of the California Constitution’s prohibition of cruel or unusual punishment. The California Supreme Court declared in the Anderson case that its decision was retroactive, thereby invalidating all prior death sentences imposed in California.

June 16 Peace Love Art Activism

CLINTON IMPEACHMENT

June 16, 1998: Ken Starr released a 19-page attack on Brill’s article, calling the editor “reckless” and “irresponsible” for printing what he called a misinterpretation of their interview. (see Clinton for expanded story)

June 16 Peace Love Art Activism

Symbionese Liberation Army

June 16, 1999: Kathleen Ann Soliah, a former member of the Symbionese Liberation Army (SLA), was arrested near her home in St. Paul, Minnesota. Soliah, who now calls herself Sara Jane Olsen, had been evading authorities for more than 20 years.

On April 21, 1975, members of the SLA robbed a bank in Carmichael, California, and, in the process, killed one of the bank’s customers, Myrna Opsahl. According to Patty Hearst, who served as the group’s getaway driver that day, Soliah took part in the robbery.

Four months later, in August 1975, Lost Angeles policemen discovered a bomb where one of their patrol cars had earlier been parked. Though police believe it had been designed to explode when the car moved, it had failed to detonate. Soliah was indicted for the crime in 1976 but by then she had already left town, and did not return, becoming a fugitive for nearly 23 years. Soliah eventually settled with her husband, a doctor, and three children in St. Paul, Minnesota, where she continued to advocate for various causes under the assumed name Sara Jane Olsen.

In the spring of 1999, however, Soliah’s case was featured on an episode of television’s America’s Most Wanted; she was arrested several weeks later. In 2002, as part of a plea bargain, she pled guilty to two counts of planting bombs and was sentenced to five years and four months in jail. The Board of Prison Terms then changed her sentence to 14 years. After pleading guilty to the attempted bombings, she was arraigned for the Opsahl killing and was later convicted and sentenced to another six years.

In 2004, a judge threw out the adjusted 14-year term, saying the board “abused its discretion” in changing the sentence. She was released from a California prison in March 2009. (see January 20, 2001)

June 16 Peace Love Art Activism

SEPARATION OF CHURCH AND STATE

June 16, 2014: the US Supreme Court left  intact a lower-court decision that barred a public school district in Wisconsin from holding its graduation ceremonies in an evangelical Christian church.

Unlike in the Town of Greece v. Galloway [Oyez article], Justine Anthony Kennedy noted that students were a captive audience and not free to leave. Because the school gym was hot, cramped and stuffy, the school district decided in the year 2000 to move its graduation ceremonies to the modern, spacious and air-conditioned Elmbrook Church. There, “towering over the graduation proceedings … was a 15- to 20-foot-tall Latin cross, the preeminent symbol of Christianity,” the U.S. 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago noted when it considered the case.

Nine students and their parents had joined a 1st Amendment lawsuit objecting to holding graduation in the church. The 7th Circuit ruled, by a 7-3 vote, that this religious setting violated the Constitution.

The school district appealed. For more than a year, the Supreme Court’s justices weighed whether to hear the case.

The Court issued a one-line order denying the appeal in Elmbrook School District vs. Doe, despite dissents by Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas. The dissenters said the 7th Circuit’s ruling was “fundamentally inconsistent” with the recent decision allowing prayer in town council meetings and should be overturned. (see Aug 5)

June 16 Peace Love Art Activism

Consumer Protection

June 16, 2015:  the Food and Drug Administration gave the food industry three years to eliminate artery-clogging, artificial trans fats from the food supply, a long-awaited step that capped years of effort by consumer advocates and is expected to save thousands of lives a year.

Trans fats — a major contributor to heart disease in the United States — have already been substantially reduced in foods, but they still lurk in many popular products, including frostings, microwave popcorn, packaged pies, frozen pizzas, margarines, coffee creamers, graham crackers, and granola bars. [NYT article] (see Nov 12)

June 16 Peace Love Art Activism

Immigration History & Trump’s Wall

June 16, 2015: Donald Trump announced his campaign for the presidency and first mentioned his idea to build a southern border wall.

“I will build a great wall ― and nobody builds walls better than me, believe me ―and I’ll build them very inexpensively. I will build a great, great wall on our southern border, and I will make Mexico pay for that wall. Mark my words.”

Throughout his successful campaign, Trump regularly used a call and response with his crowds to reinforce his promise to build a wall and vilified immigrants from Mexico and Central and South America. (IH, see July 24; TW, see November 13, 2016)

June 16 Peace Love Art Activism

LGBTQ

June 16, 2018: in unscripted remarks to the Forum delle Famiglie, an Italian lay movement representing Catholic families, the pope discredited the love that gay parents provide their children.

“It is painful to say this today — people speak of varied families, of various kinds of family,” Francis said, but “the family (as) man and woman in the image of God is the only one.” (see June 25)

Transgender Students Protected

June 16, 2021: the Education Department said that transgender students were protected under Title IX, a law that prohibits sex-based discrimination in federally funded schools, reversing a Trump-era policy that effectively had said the opposite.

“We just want to double down on our expectations,” Miguel A. Cardona, the education secretary, said in an interview. “Students cannot be discriminated against because of their sexual orientation or their gender identity.”

The decision was rooted in a Supreme Court ruling last year that determined that protections in the Civil Rights Act against discrimination in the workplace extended to gay and transgender people, and similar interpretations of the ruling have appeared in agencies throughout President Biden’s government. His administration had conducted a sweeping effort to rescind, revise or revoke a number of Trump-era policies that rolled back transgender rights. [NYT article] (next LGBTQ, see June 21)

June 16 Peace Love Art Activism

Crime and Punishment

June 16: NPR reported that President Trump signed an executive order on policing. The order focused on three areas: credentialing and certifying police officers, creating a database to track officers who have been accused of misconduct and allowing social workers to go with police on some calls.

The order came as the president faced tremendous pressure to take action following the killing of George Floyd at the hands of police last month. (next C & P, see July 16)

DEATH PENALTY

June 16, 2021: the South Carolina Supreme Court blocked the executions of inmates Brad Sigmon and Freddie Owens that had been set for this month under the state’s recently revised capital punishment law.

The executions had been scheduled less than a month after the passage of a new law compelling the condemned to choose between electrocution or a firing squad if lethal injection drugs weren’t available. The statute was aimed at restarting executions after an involuntary 10-year pause that the state attributes to an inability to procure the drugs.

Prisons officials said they still could not get hold of lethal injection drugs and had yet to put together a firing squad, leaving the state’s 109-year-old electric chair as the only method of execution. [KXAN article] (next DP, see July 1)

June 16 Peace Love Art Activism

Women’s Health

June 16, 2021: rejecting arguments that the law should be left intact because prosecutors weren’t going after doctors who violate it, a three-judge panel of the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Richmond, Virginia ruled  that North Carolina’s ban on most abortions after the 20th week of pregnancy must remain unenforceable, on Wednesday,.

The court upheld a 2019 lower-court decision striking down the prohibition, which haD been on the books since 1973.

The Republican-dominated legislature in 2015 narrowed the scope of medical emergencies under which a woman would be exempt from the 20-week limit.  [Blue Ridge Public Radio article] (next WH, see June 18)

June 16 Peace Love Art Activism

Daniel Ellsberg/Pentagon Papers

June 16, 2023: Daniel Ellsberg, the history-making whistleblower who by leaking the Pentagon Papers revealed longtime government doubts and deceit about the Vietnam War and inspired acts of retaliation by President Richard Nixon that helped lead to his resignation, died. He was 92.

Ellsberg, whose actions led to a landmark First Amendment ruling by the Supreme Court, had disclosed in February that he was terminally ill with pancreatic cancer. His family announced his death Friday morning in a letter released by a spokeswoman, Julia Pacetti. [AP article] (see DE/PP for full chronology)