Erasing Racial Justice, or How Liberals Became Black

On August 11,1965, the Watts area of Los Angeles exploded in the worst urban violence in nearly fifty years. Less than a week after the signing of the historic Voting Rights Act of 1965 the civil rights movement was dead. The nation’s attention shifted north where rioters rejected the soothing words of civil rights leaders and shouted “Burn, Baby Burn” and “Get Whitey.” The immediate consequences were 34 dead, 1,032 injured, 3,952 arrested and an estimated $40 million in property damage. 2