- Collection:
- WSB-TV Newsfilm Collection
- Title:
- WSB-TV newsfilm clip of a city official blaming Hosea Williams for stirring up racial unrest in Columbus, Georgia, 1971 June 21
- Creator:
- WSB-TV (Television station : Atlanta, Ga.)
- Contributor to Resource:
- Brinkley, Jack
- Date of Original:
- 1971-06-21
- Subject:
- Civil rights demonstrations--Georgia--Columbus
Race riots--Georgia--Columbus
Police--Georgia--Columbus
African Americans--Civil rights--Georgia--Columbus
African Americans--Georgia--Columbus
Legislators--United States
Civil rights workers--Georgia--Columbus
African American civil rights workers--Georgia--Columbus
African American clergy--Georgia
Clergy--Georgia
African Americans--Civil rights--Georgia
Civil rights--Georgia--Columbus
Demonstrations--Georgia--Columbus
Civil rights movements--Georgia--Columbus
Direct action--Georgia--Columbus
Riots--Georgia--Columbus--History--20th century
Race riots--United States--History--20th century
Social conflict--Georgia--Columbus
Racism--Georgia
Racism--Georgia--Columbus
Whites--Georgia--Columbus
African Americans--Politics and government--20th century
Whites--Politics and government--20th century
Race discrimination--Georgia--Columbus
Prejudices--Georgia--Columbus
Polarization (Social Sciences)--Georgia--Columbus
Intervention (Federal government)--Georgia--Columbus
Indictments--Georgia--Columbus
Governmental investigations
African Americans--Georgia--Columbus--Social conditions--20th century
Whites--Georgia--Columbus--Social conditions--20th century
African Americans--Georgia--Columbus--Social conditions--1964-1975
Whites--Georgia--Columbus--Social conditions--1964-1975
Reporters and reporting--Georgia
United States--Race relations
Georgia--Race relations
Georgia--Social conditions--20th century
Georgia--Politics and government--1951- - People:
- Williams, Hosea, 1926-2000
Brinkley, Jack--Interviews - Location:
- United States, Georgia, Muscogee County, Columbus, 32.46098, -84.98771
- Medium:
- moving images
news
unedited footage - Type:
- MovingImage
- Format:
- video/mp4
- Description:
- In this WSB newsfilm clip from Monday, June 21, 1971, U.S. representative from Georgia Jack Brinkley blames civil rights activist Hosea Williams for inciting civil unrest that ensued after a protest march in Columbus on June 19th, 1971.
The clip begins with Representative Brinkley calling the participation of non-local civil rights activists "wrong," stating his objections to black or white community members engaging nonlocal residents as part of a protest strategy. Describing Columbus as a place where people were "getting along," he asserts that it is wrong for someone to "come out and create and precipitate trouble." A reporter asks Brinkley if he is "putting the finger" on Williams as the reason for the "weekend trouble in Columbus;" the official then acknowledges that he "very specifically" implicates Hosea Williams as the cause of trouble, and refers to Williams as "chief racist of them all." The reporter follows up by asking Brinkley if he thinks that laws should be enacted to prevent non-local activists from entering a community and "inflaming" it; he responds by stating that he thinks that there is already a "good" federal law in place that "deals with people who cross state lines in order to inspire riots," presumably referring to the federal anti-riot act of 1968. Brinkley says he is unsure where Hosea Williams is from, guesses that he is from Atlanta, then adds "but he travels all across the United States." He expresses hope that Williams' recent activity in Columbus could be "looked into." The clip ends.
Violence broke out in Columbus, Georgia during the spring and summer of 1971 following a series of racially motivated suspensions and firings in the Columbus police department. On Saturday, June 19, 1971, Hosea Williams, regional vice president of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC), helped organize a protest march in support of demands made in a class-action lawsuit against the city, and to protest the city's failure to address grievances of the Afro-American Police League. The lawsuit's plaintiffs sought to eliminate longstanding discriminatory practices in the department, and to reinstate officers who had protested against said practices. Although the protest march was peaceful, racial tensions were high in Columbus, and violence escalated dramatically after the demonstration. Rioting reached a height on June 21, 1971, when a white officer, L. A. Jacks, shot and killed a twenty-year old African American youth named Willie J. Osborne after an alleged armed robbery. Riots, arson attacks, police violence, and further protests impacted the city for several months, prompting the Columbus City Council to invoke an emergency ordinance, and Columbus mayor J. R. Allen to declare a state of emergency. Williams, a prominent figure who demanded accountability from white officials in a vigorous and sustained manner, was vilified as an outside agitator and a racist by politicians who sought a swift return to the status quo.
Title supplied by cataloger. - Local Identifier:
- Clip number: wsbn58178
- Metadata URL:
- https://crdl.usg.edu/id:ugabma_wsbn_wsbn58178
- Digital Object URL:
- https://crdl.usg.edu/do:ugabma_wsbn_wsbn58178
- IIIF manifest:
- https://dlg.usg.edu/record/ugabma_wsbn_wsbn58178/presentation/manifest.json
- Language:
- eng
- Bibliographic Citation (Cite As):
- Cite as: wsbn58178, WSB-TV newsfilm clip of a city official blaming Hosea Williams for stirring up racial unrest in Columbus, Georgia, 1971 June 21, WSB-TV newsfilm collection, reel 1598, 6:03/06:56, Walter J. Brown Media Archives and Peabody Awards Collection, The University of Georgia Libraries, Athens, Georgia
- Extent:
- 1 clip (about 53 secs.): color, sound ; 16 mm.
- Original Collection:
- Original found in the WSB-TV newsfilm collection.
- Contributing Institution:
- Walter J. Brown Media Archives and Peabody Awards Collection
- Rights:
-
