My 12 favorite things about the Montgomery Riverfront Uprising

OPINION: Will we ever get enough of the Montgomery Riverfront Uprising, aka the Alabama Sweet Tea Party? The answer is no.

Editor’s note: The following article is an op-ed, and the views expressed are the author’s own. Read more opinions on theGrio.

It’s all about the Montgomery Riverfront Uprising, aka the Alabama Sweet Tea Party, aka Fadesgiving. This is an epic part of Black history. One day, we’ll tell our kids about it because we’ll have to because, one day, Black history will be banned. Here are my 11 favorite parts of this glorious moment.

1. The three brothers skipping as they slide in to join the fight. That sort of skipping lets you know they’re looking forward to the smoke.

2.  The way Black people came together to defend Black people. I mean, isn’t that the dream — you get into trouble when some whites start whiting, and suddenly, Black people emerge from every corner and crevice to defend you? 

3. The man who many have been referring to as a dockworker or a security guard — the man who threw his hat in the air — is actually the co-captain of the riverboat Harriott II, which was attempting to dock in the space occupied by the pontoon boat. He was a boss who got off the boat to handle the situation before the videos started. His crew was on the boat watching him take shots. They were like, oh hell, no that’s our leader, and they ran to help him.

4. Most of the Black people who jumped into that fight may not have been breaking the law. Alabama law makes it legal to defend yourself or others with force. The statute says: “A person may use deadly physical force, and is legally presumed to be justified in using deadly physical force in self-defense or the defense of another person.” I wonder if unc with the folding chair may end up doing time, but the rest of them may be in the clear (though investigations are still ongoing). It looks like they beat down them white people legally. You love to see it.

5. The catharsis of seeing white people get hurt by Black fists is so powerful. I don’t care if saying that is impolitic. I’m not one to say violence is never the answer. Every once in a while, someone absolutely positively needs to catch some hands just so they don’t forget what can happen when they get out of pocket. The caucasity was strong with these white men. They needed to be knocked down literally and figuratively. It was for their own good. They should’ve just complied.

6. Have we ever loved a Black swimmer more? We could not be prouder of Scuba Gooding, Jr., that 16-year-old boy who swam his way into the fight. He is a role model. Someone raised him right.

7. Has a chair ever been more beloved??? I know we’ve idolized that African-looking throne-ish peacock chair that Huey Newton famously sat on but no, the Montgomery folding chair is now the most famous chair in Black history. Rosa Parks’s bus seat is a close second.

8. I wonder if the inventor of the folding chair, Nathaniel Alexander, ever looked at his invention and thought, ‘Yes, this is good for sitting, storing and bonking white people on the head.’ If Alexander is in heaven looking down, I bet he’s happy that his chair is famous for being a critical tool in a Black uprising rather than in a wild match of pro wrestling.   

9. We have recontextualized that racist song by Jason Aldean. Those white men tried that in a small town, and they got rocked. Now tons of Black people are using “Try That In A Small Town” as the background music for their Montgomery videos, and that song will never sound the same. It will never have the meaning Aldean intended. It can only sound ironic. It is proof of white stupidity. We have culturally appropriated that song.  

10. The hat has become a symbol of needing assistance — a bat signal or Black signal. Tell your kids: If you get in trouble, throw your hat high up in the air, and Black people will come to your aid.

11. This whole thing happened 24 hours after a Trump rally in Montgomery. Those white men who attacked the co-captain were probably hopped up on Trumpism. A study has shown that there’s often a rise in violent incidents following Trump rallies. People walk out of Trump rallies filled with the arrogance of whiteness, filled with caucasity and superiority, which leads them to say and sometimes do vile things toward non-white people. Trump has a unique ability to speak and motivate white men to go out and commit violence toward other people. There was a guy in Germany decades ago who was also good at that. Can’t remember his name though. 

12. The immense Black joy that has emerged from this is priceless. We watched and laughed and loved what we saw. The joy that Black people feel is worth all of the pain that those white people had to go through.

Touré is a host and Creative Director at theGrio. He is the host of the docuseries podcast “Being Black: The ’80s.” He is also the host of the podcast “Toure Show” and the podcast docuseries “Who Was Prince?” He is the author of eight books including the Prince biography Nothing Compares 2 U and the ebook The Ivy League Counterfeiter.

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