06-05-2025
Panel discussion in Shreveport to address 1873 massacre that left dozens of black men dead
SHREVEPORT, La. (KTAL/KMSS) — Residents of Shreveport are invited to an important panel discussion addressing past racial issues.
St. Mark's Cathedral invites the public to its 'Bridging the Gap' event. The panel discussion will bring together Reverend Avery Hamilton and Dean Woods. Both men had ancestors who stood on opposite sides of the tragic Colfax Massacre of 1873.
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According to the Smithsonian Magazine, the Colfax Massacre happened in Colfax, Louisiana, on April 13, 1872, when an armed group of white supremacists attacked a courthouse guarded by a mostly-black militia. A bloodbath ensued as the militia surrendered and the white supremacists carried out a day-long terror that resulted in the deaths of more than 100 black men. In the end, 97 members of the white mob were indicted, but only nine men were charged with violating the Enforcement Acts of 1870 and 1871, which intended to guarantee the right of freed men.
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Hamilton and Woods will share how they formed an unlikely friendship rooted in truth and healing. The event is free and open to the public. The panel discussion will be held on Thursday, May 8, at St. Mark's Cathedral, at the corner of King's Highway and Fairfield. The event starts at 6:00 p.m.
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