The Color of the Law: Race, Violence, and Justice in the Post-World War II South

by Gail Williams O'Brien

On February 25, 1946, African Americans in Columbia, Tennessee, averted the lynching of James Stephenson, a nineteen-year-old, black Navy veteran accused of attacking a white radio repairman at a local department store. That night, after Stephenson was safely out of town, four of Columbia's police officers were shot and wounded when they tried to enter the town's black business district. The next morning, the Tennessee Highway Patrol invaded the district, wrecking establishments and beating men as they arrested them. By day's end, more than one hundred African Americans had been jailed. Two days later, highway patrolmen killed two of the arrestees while they were awaiting release from jail.

Drawing on oral interviews and a rich array of written sources, Gail Williams O'Brien tells the dramatic story of the Columbia "race riot," the national attention it drew, and its surprising legal aftermath. In the process, she illuminates the effects of World War II on race relations and the criminal justice system in the United States. O'Brien argues that the Columbia events are emblematic of a nationwide shift during the 1940s from mob violence against African Americans to increased confrontations between blacks and the police and courts. As such, they reveal the history behind such contemporary conflicts as the Rodney King and O. J. Simpson cases.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, American History

352 pages, Paperback

First published May 31, 1999

Reviews

[Russ Adcox · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting read about the 1946 race riot in Columbia, TN. Covers it's cause, effect and outcomes. Gives a lot if perspective on race relations in the South and particularly how past events can still contribute to present tensions. A largely unknown (or oft ignored) history of my hometown that's needs to known. We need to remember, reflect and learn from this event so history is not repeated.

[Brian E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just finished reading this book. What a great read! Living in Columbia, TN it is a great to learn more about how this town has evolved. This book also brings out, in my opinion, the true heroes of the Columbia Race Riot. Not only were the victims heroes, the Stephensons, the Mortons, but the lawyers who represented the victims, Mr. Looby, Mr. Weaver, and Mr. Marshall. There is a lot of controversy in Columbia on who should be the face of the Race Riot. I do not feel that one person should be the face of the riot. You cannot put the Race Riot in a vacuum. You have to look the events that happened before the riot and after the riot. The Columbia Race Riot was the foundation of the Civil Rights movement. And also the foundation for the Civil Rights Act. So to make one person the face of the Race Riot is disingenuous and creates a false sense of history. And this book explains this. I would encourage those who want to learn about the 1946 Race Riot, to read this book.