Nov. 3, 1979: Greensboro Massacre

Photo from UMass. If you have info about the date and/or description, please let us know.

On Nov. 3, 1979, five people were killed when the Ku Klux Klan and Nazis fired on an anti-Klan rally in Greensboro, North Carolina. They were:

César Vincente Cauce March 5, 1954 – November 3, 1979

Michael Ronald Nathan, M.D. July 13, 1947 – November 5, 1979

William Evan Sampson January 23, 1948 – November 3, 1979

Sandra Neely Smith December 25, 1950 – November 3, 1979

James Michael Waller, M.D. November 5, 1942 – November 3, 1979

The police, who had been warned of the potential for trouble, were suspiciously absent at the time of the attack. The Greensboro Truth and Reconciliation Commission was formed in 2004 to investigate the incident, known as the Greensboro Massacre.

Students can compare the message in headlines for the coverage of this story. For example:

• History.com (This Day in History online) says: “Communists and Klansmen clash in Greensboro”
• This Day in Civil Rights History (NewSouth Books, 2009) says: “Klansmen, Nazis Gun Down Five in Greensboro, N.C.”

Learn More

Morningside: The 1979 Greensboro Massacre and the Struggle for an American City’s Soul by Aran Shetterly

In this brilliant investigative deep dive, historian Shetterly . . . brings into startling focus the freewheeling world of law enforcement’s Cold War-era anticommunist crusade. — Publishers Weekly

The Greensboro Massacre of 1979, Explained by Eric Ginsburg via Teen Vogue

Greensboro Massacre: Lessons for Today Twitter page

The Greensboro Massacre at 40: Lessons for Movement Building. Event on Sept. 28, 2019 at the People’s Forum in New York City. Speakers included survivors of the  Greensboro Massacre Rev. Nelson Johnson, Joyce Johnson, and Paul Bermanzohn who reflected on the forty-year anniversary. Moderated by Roz Pelles.