On this day in 1887, my great great great grandfather Jack Conrad survived a racist mass shooting known as the Thibodaux Massacre. Jack Conrad, a former Union soldier born into slavery, endured immense hardship even as a freed individual. He became a victim and one of the few survivors of The Thibodaux Massacre. Even after slavery was abolished in the United States, Black sugarcane workers in Louisiana found themselves living lives that closely resembled slavery. Their wages were meager, equivalent to today’s 91 cents for an entire day of labor, paid not in cash but in 'scrip' or store credit to use in local shops. In response to these unbearable conditions, Black sugarcane workers unionized and went on strike, demanding fair wages and the right to rent land. However, their fight for equal rights was met with rage. White vigilante groups arose, aiming to suppress the empowerment of these Black laborers. On November 23rd, 1887, the white vigilante groups unleashed a horrific assault on Black laborers and their families in Thibodaux, Louisiana. Going from house to house, they forced unarmed Black people out of their homes and shot them dead. The victims of this massacre were all Black, including elders, women, and children. Their crime? Simply demanding fair pay. For the full story, watch the video. It is because of these stories in my lineage that I dedicate so much of my work to the visibility and representation of marginalized people and why I stand in solidarity with all oppressed people around the world. This video was part of series that I wrote and produced in collaboration with Asian-American woman owned brand @UPRISERS in 2019 and felt it necessary to retell the story today. #thanksgiving #thibodauxmassacre #blackhistory #americanhistory #africanamericanhistory #uprisers #decolonization