Make a statement in this soft cotton sweatshirt custom made by us. The Never Forget Collection pays homage to destroyed Black communities like Colfax. The Colfax Massacre was arguably one of the most violent acts of domestic terrorism in the Civil War Reconstruction era. The town of Colfax boasted a Black population nearly equal to its white counterparts prior to the massacre of 1873. Like many Southern states with large numbers of Black residents, Louisiana was prone to fits of violence and displays of aggression and intimidation against emancipated Black folks. Animosity grew among the Confederate leaning Democrats who were 'disenfranchised' by the liberation of their primary source of labor and income, enslaved Africans. As tensions grew and white supremacists became increasingly combative, Black residents of Colfax became concerned that the nearly bipartisan local government would be overthrown by the fanatical Democrats. They were right to be afraid. A contingency of Black militiamen gathered at the courthouse to defend it against any potential coup and shortly after they were fired upon by cannons. The local militia fought to defend their position but eventually were forced to surrender, after which the majority of them were executed. Confederate Democrats then went on a rampage, killing Black residents with no connection to the courthouse shootout. Some perpetrators of the genocide were tried for minor crimes not including murder but the Supreme Court ultimately set the precedent that legal protections against racially motivated attacks applied only to the state and not to individuals. All charges were dismissed and a memorial was erected in honor of the three white lives lost that night with no regard for approximately 150 Black bodies that were left to be recovered by the remaining Black residents. A dismissive and derisive plaque was later erected acknowledging the 150 'negro' souls lost that day, marking it as the "end of carpetbag misrule in the South." May we never forget the brave defenders of justice who gathered to defend their rights and freedoms and the community destroyed by white rage and Confederate violence.