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Eye for an Eye: The Role of Armed Resistance ... - Freedom Archives

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apists . In February <strong>of</strong> 1948, Mrs. Rosa Ingram, a widow with twelve children,<br />

<strong>an</strong>d her two teenaged sons Wallace <strong>an</strong>d Sammy were convicted <strong>of</strong> murdering a<br />

white farmer, John Ed Strat<strong>for</strong>d . <strong>The</strong> Ingrams defense was that Strat<strong>for</strong>d threat-<br />

ened her <strong>an</strong>d struck her with a .32 caliber rifle after she refused his adv<strong>an</strong>ces .<br />

Fearing <strong>for</strong> their mother's safety, according to their testimony, the two Ingram<br />

sons came to her defense . Wallace disarmed Strat<strong>for</strong>d <strong>an</strong>d hit him with the<br />

weapon . Strat<strong>for</strong>d died from blows received during the struggle . <strong>The</strong> Ingrams<br />

were convicted by <strong>an</strong> all-white jury in a one-day trial <strong>an</strong>d sentenced to death . A<br />

coalition <strong>of</strong> civil rights <strong>an</strong>d progressive groups <strong>an</strong>d individuals came to the sup-<br />

port <strong>of</strong> the Ingrams, including the NAACP, the Americ<strong>an</strong> Communist Party,<br />

churches <strong>an</strong>d women's org<strong>an</strong>izations . In 1949, W.E.B . DuBois submitted <strong>an</strong><br />

appeal to the member governments <strong>of</strong> the United Nations . As a part <strong>of</strong> its cam-<br />

paign to expose the racist <strong>an</strong>d imperialist nature <strong>of</strong> the U .S ., the People's Republic<br />

<strong>of</strong> China condemned the imprisonment <strong>an</strong>d death sentences <strong>of</strong> the Ingrams. <strong>The</strong><br />

Chinese statement declared the Ingrams "have been illegally kept in prison <strong>for</strong><br />

more th<strong>an</strong> four years <strong>an</strong>d are suffering from cruel torture, on account <strong>of</strong> the fact<br />

they defended their honor <strong>an</strong>d stood against racial discrimination ." Condemning<br />

the U .S .A . the Chinese stated the" brutal treatment towards Negroes is no differ-<br />

ent from that <strong>of</strong> fascists towards the Jews ." Domestic <strong>an</strong>d international pressure<br />

prevented the Ingrams from execution <strong>an</strong>d they were paroled in 1959 . 56<br />

An armed Black uprising was prevented by CIO labor org<strong>an</strong>izers in 1946<br />

in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Workers <strong>of</strong> R.J . Reynolds tobacco comp<strong>an</strong>y<br />

went on strike in the Summer <strong>of</strong> the same year. <strong>The</strong> strike was org<strong>an</strong>ized by the<br />

CIO affiliate Food, Tobacco, Agricultural <strong>an</strong>d Allied Workers (FI'A) . <strong>The</strong> FTA

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