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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, The year 2010 marked the centennial of the Slocum |
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massacre, a horrific incident in our state's history and one that is |
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deserving of attention and discussion; and |
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WHEREAS, In the summer of 1910, racial tensions were running |
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high in East Texas after the lynching of an African American in |
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Cherokee County and the subsequent rumors of unrest among area |
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blacks; in the small community of Slocum, in Anderson County, the |
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atmosphere grew more heated when a dispute arose between an African |
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American resident and a white man over an unpaid debt; around the |
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same time, several whites in the area had become incensed over what |
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they viewed as inappropriate behavior by certain blacks; in late |
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July, these factors combined to touch off a violent and deadly |
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attack; and |
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WHEREAS, A mob of white men brandishing rifles, shotguns, and |
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pistols descended on Slocum and began firing on unarmed African |
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Americans; the attackers were estimated to number as many as 1,000 |
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people, and their bloody rampage took a heavy toll; the murder of |
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eight people was confirmed, and reports indicated that many more |
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may have died in what became known as the Slocum massacre; and |
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WHEREAS, The incident was reported in newspapers across the |
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nation, and Texas Rangers and state militia were sent to the area to |
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prevent further bloodshed; an investigation by an Anderson County |
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grand jury overseen by Judge B. H. Gardner of Palestine led to the |
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indictment of seven people, including Jim Spurger, who was believed |
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to have been a prime instigator in the attacks; because of the |
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emotions surrounding the case, Judge Gardner moved the trial to |
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Harris County, but it was there that the wheels of justice stopped |
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turning; the prosecuting attorney never brought the case to trial, |
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and no one was ever convicted of the crimes; and |
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WHEREAS, In Slocum, the African American survivors mourned |
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their lost friends and loved ones and lived in fear of further |
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violence; ultimately, many of them chose to move away, abandoning |
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homes, stores, and farms; ancestors of the Hollie family suffered |
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the loss of one son and the wounding of another, and they were |
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forced to abandon property that included a home, a store, and |
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several hundred acres of farmland; and |
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WHEREAS, The event wreaked devastation in the lives of |
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African Americans living in the area, yet it has since been largely |
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ignored, receiving no formal acknowledgment by state or local |
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officials and little coverage in historical accounts of the era; |
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and |
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WHEREAS, Only by shining a light on previous injustices can |
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we learn from them and move toward a future of greater healing and |
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reconciliation; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 82nd Texas |
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Legislature hereby acknowledge the Slocum massacre of 1910. |