The story of Ernest Thomas is a tragic example of racial injustice that occurred in the United States in the mid-20th century. Thomas was an African American man who was accused of a crime he did not commit and subsequently faced a horrific fate.
By Uzonna Anele, Talk Africana
Photo, (From left) Lake County Sheriff Willis McCall and an unidentified man stand next to Walter Irvin, Samuel Shepherd and Charles Greenlee in Florida in 1949. State Library and Archives of Florida via AP.
Ernest Thomas was an African American man living in the Jim Crow South during the 1940s. He was born in Madison County, Florida, a place known for its deeply rooted racial segregation and prejudice. African Americans in this region faced systemic discrimination and were often subjected to brutal acts of violence and injustice.
In 1949, Ernest Thomas was one of the “Groveland Four”, three young Black men and one 16-year-old Black boy, who were falsely accused of raping 17-year-old Norma Padgett and assaulting her husband in Groveland, Florida. This accusation came at a time when racial tensions were extremely high, and the mere accusation of a black man assaulting a white woman could lead to deadly consequences as allegations against African Americans were rarely scrutinized.
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