Red Summer is a term coined by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) describing the summer and autumn of 1919. Race riots erupted in several cities in both the North and South of the United States. The three most violent episodes happened in Chicago, Washington, D.C., and Elaine, Arkansas. These were part of a series of 25 or more race riots occurring in the U.S. where African Americans were the victims of racist attacks. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, or NAACP, is one of the oldest and most influential civil rights organizations in the United States. ... A race riot is an outbreak of violent civil unrest in which race issues are a key factor. ... Chicago (officially named the City of Chicago) is the third largest city in the United States (after New York City and Los Angeles), with an official population of 2,896,016, as of the 2000 census. ... Washington, D.C. is the capital city of the United States of America. ... Elaine is a city located in Phillips County, Arkansas. ... For other uses, see United States (disambiguation) and US (disambiguation). ... African Americans, also known as Afro-Americans or black Americans, are an ethnic group in the United States of America whose ancestors, usually in predominant part, were indigenous to Sub-Saharan and West Africa. ...

The riots were sparked by racism, unemployment and inflation. White workers did not want African Americans competing equally for jobs with them. The unrest was intensified by the Red Scare; African Americans who wanted racial equality were branded as radicals. The Communist Jamaican poet Claude McKay wrote his poem "If We Must Die" in response to the situation. An African-American man drinks out of the colored only water fountain at a racially segregated streetcar terminal in the United States in 1939. ... Dorothea Langes Migrant Mother depicts destitute pea pickers in California during the Great Depression. ... This article contains information that has not been verified and thus might not be reliable. ... Communism - Wikipedia /**/ @import /w/skins-1. ... Claude McKay. ...

There were similar riots in Great Britain - Glasgow, South Shields, Liverpool, Cardiff and London. There the trade unions played a significant role in stimulating racial tensions, including such people as Emmanuel Shinwell, who was campaigning for the forty-hour workweek. (See Red Clydeside). Glasgow (or Glaschu in Gaelic) is Scotlands largest city and unitary council, situated on the River Clyde in the countrys west central lowlands. ... South Shields high street and Metro station Map sources for South Shields at grid reference NZ1658 South Shields is a coastal town in South Tyneside, Tyne and Wear, England on the south bank of the mouth of the River Tyne, with a population of about 90,000. ... Liverpools skyline, as seen from the River Mersey. ... The Norman Keep, Cardiff Castle Aerial view of the Millennium Stadium The Wales Millennium Centre, Cardiff Bay The Cardiff Indoor Market Cardiff (Welsh: Caerdydd) is the capital and largest city of Wales. ... Part of the London skyline viewed from the South Bank London is the most populous city in the European Union, with an estimated population on 1 January 2005 of 7. ... A union (labor union in American English; trade union, sometimes trades union, in British English; either labour union or trade union in Canadian English) is a legal entity consisting of employees or workers having a common interest, such as all the assembly workers for one employer, or all the workers... Emanuel Shinwell (October 18, 1884-May 8, 1986) (familiarly known as Manny) was born in London, but moved with his Jewish family to Scotland. ... Working time refers to the period of time that an individual spends at paid occupational labor. ... Red Clydeside is a term used to describe the era of political radicalism that characterised the city of Glasgow in Scotland and urban areas around the city on the banks of the River Clyde. ...

Unlike earlier race riots in U.S. history, these riots were among the first where there was an organized black response - black leaders promoted self-defense by any means necessary. By Any Means Necessary may refer to: the key phrase in a speech given by Malcolm X in the last year of his life: We want freedom by any means necessary. ...

References

• Red Summer - A Season of Fear
• Erickson, Alana J. Red Summer. In Encyclopedia of African-American Culture and History. New York: Simon & Schuster Macmillan, 1996.