Hi, I’m Jackie Strohm, the Prevention & Resource Coordinator at the Pennsylvania Coalition Against Rape. Welcome to this episode of History You Should Know, part of the PA Centered Podcast. To celebrate and highlight stories of people who advanced the anti-sexual violence movement, particularly Black women, we are sharing a series of shorter episodes so you can learn all about the people and events that contributed to our movement During today’s episode we’re going to go back in history to May 1866 to learn about the Memphis Riot Survivors. As a warning, today’s episode will include descriptions of sexual violence and transphobia. We encourage you to take care of yourself while listening. The Memphis Riots of 1866 began on May 1 after a group of Black soldiers, women, and children began to gather in a public space in South Memphis, Tennessee. After the police attempted to break up the group, arresting two soldiers, gunshots broke out, which led to rioting. For three days, white male terrorists targeted communities of Black residents, starting fires, killing Black people and raping Black women. In total, 46 black and 2 white people were killed (one wounded himself and the other was apparently killed by other white people) and 75 people were injured. Over 100 people were robbed. Black churches, schools, and homes were burned. And 5 black women reported being raped. Two of those women were housemates: Lucy Smith, a 17 year old, and Frances Thompson, an older transgender woman. Between one and two o’clock in the morning, they awoke to a loud banging at the door. Seven white men, two of whom were policemen, demanded that Lucy and Frances make them dinner. After the meal, the men wanted some women to have sex with, and when Lucy and Frances refused, the men raped them. Frances said, “All seven of the men violated us two. Four of them had to do with me, and the rest with Lucy.” Both women gave testimony at a congressional investigation, and Frances is believed to be the first transgender woman to testify before Congress. Despite an investigation, the men were not charged for the assault -- and not a single man was ever arrested or charged for their part in the riots. Instead many of the officers involved, the ones who perpetrated the violence, were compensated for their injuries “sustained in an effort to suppress the riot.” 10 years after the riot, in July of 1876, Frances was fined $50 for cross-dressing, and was forced to undergo numerous physician’s examinations. Some people used her arrest as ammunition to discredit her story of being raped during the riots, and discredit other Black women’s claims of rape by white men as part of a larger campaign to refute white racial terror against Black people in the south. Historians note that it is clear that Thompson’s race was the primary factor determining her harsh treatment in the press because white women who similarly transgressed gender norms were treated more positively. We are grateful for Lucy Smith, Frances Thompson, and the other Black women who had the courage to appear before a congressional committee and recount the heinous acts committed against them. Thanks for listening to this episode of History You Should Know, part of the PA Centered Podcast. To learn more about the Memphis Riot Survivors, check out the resources shared in the episode description. To learn more about the history of the anti-sexual violence movement, check out PCAR’s free History and Philosphy eLearning course at campus.nsvrc.org.