More Names...

Have you ever heard the name Virgil Ware? Now you're probably wondering to yourself, "Should I have?" The answer to that question is undeniably yes though the fact that most of the world doesn't hold that name up high isn't anyone's fault, circumstances determined that.

Virgil Ware was 13 years old and riding on the handle bars of his oldest brother James' bike when he was shot in the chest and face by a group of white teens returning from a segregationist rally. The white teens were Boy Scouts and as the story goes, Larry Sims had Michael Farley's gun when they spotted the Ware brothers. Wanting to put a good scare in the boys, Larry fired two shots at them. They both found their home in in Virgil, killing him at the scene in his older brothers arms.

Larry Sims and Michael Farley were both tried and convicted of second degree manslaughter and sentenced to just seven months in jail. However, a judge suspended their sentences and gave them an even more unjust sentence of two years probation and no jail time.

Have you ever heard the name Johnny Robinson? Again, you're probably rummaging through your head wondering if you have, you can stp because you probably haven't. It's for the same reasons you've never heard of Virgil, circumstances.

16 year old Johnny Robinson was shot in the back by police officer Jack Parker. Johnny and a group of Black kids threw rocks at a car draped in the confederate flag and full of white teens who hurled racial slurs and Johnny and his friends. When the police arrived, Johnny and his friends scattered. Jack Parker, obviously fearing for his life by a fleeing Black teen pulled his revolver and shot Johnny in the back, killing him.

Two grand juries were convened and both refused to bring Parker to trial for the murder of Johnny Robinson, and no one was ever prosecuted in the case of his murder.

The reasons you may have never heard of these two young men is because they were murdered in Birmingham, Alabama on the same day as Addie Mae Collins, Carole Robertson, Cynthia Wesley, and Denise McNair were murdered. Those are the names of the four little Black girls that died in the church bombing in Birmingham 50 years ago yesterday. Their murders were so heinous that Virgil and Johnny's murders were pushed aside and all but forgotten about. I wanted to put their names out and alongside the names of those four little girls in the hopes of informing someone that they too died for no other reason than the color of their skin, and that they should never be forgotten.

Virgil is on the left, Johnny on the right.

May you both continue to rest in peace.