July 1917

On July 28, 1917, approximately 10,000 Black New Yorkers marched silently down Fifth Avenue to protest the East St. Louis massacre, in which white mobs killed dozens of Black residents, and the broader epidemic of anti-Black violence. Organized by the NAACP and community leaders, marchers carried signs reading 'Mr. President, Why Not Make America Safe for Democracy?' It was one of the earliest large-scale civil rights demonstrations in American history.

White mobs in East St. Louis, Illinois attacked Black residents over labor competition, killing an estimated 100 to 200 Black people, injuring thousands, and burning hundreds of homes. The massacre triggered massive Black displacement and became a catalyst for NAACP organizing and early civil rights campaigns demanding federal anti-lynching legislation.

In response to the East St. Louis massacre and other racial violence, approximately 10,000 Black New Yorkers marched silently down Fifth Avenue in one of the earliest major civil rights demonstrations in the North. Marchers carried signs denouncing lynching and mob violence. The parade organized by the NAACP signaled a new assertive phase of Black protest.