Have been on GOOGLE today? Have you see the doodle of the 100th Anniversary of the Silent Parade? Do you know what the Silent Parade is? Most people don’t so here are a few facts about the parade.
1. Nearly 10,000 People, Including Children, Marched in Silence During the 1917 Silent Parade
Google noted that “the only sound on New York City’s Fifth Avenue was the muffled beat of drums as nearly 10,000 African American children, women, and men marched in silence in what came to be known as the Silent Parade.”
2. The Silent Parade Followed Escalating Mob Violence & Lynchings Against African-Americans, Especially in East St. Louis
According to Chad Williams of Brandeis University, the Silent Parade was a way to protest against ob violence and lynchings
3. W.E.B Du Bois & James Weldon Johnson Were Among the Leaders of the March, Which Was Meant to Pressure Woodrow Wilson During World War I
Wanting to pressure President Woodrow Wilson, well-known African-American figures like James Weldon Johnson and W.E.B. Du Bois orgainzed the parade to make sure that the president stayed true to his freedom speeches.
4. An Arts Group in New York Is Re-staging the Historic Protest
Today, Kindred Arts, a non-profit group is reacting the march down 5th Ave. in New York.
5. The Flyer Urged People to March in 1917 Because ‘We Want Our Children to Live in a Better Land’
To inspire people to come and march, the NAACP Flyer explain why we march.
What to know more? Here are several websites with details – Heavy Wikipedia, and TIME
