The Story of Sandy Beulah, Texas: Race, Violence, and the Search for Justice in the Jim Crow South

FAIN: FT-291474-23

Steven Andrew Reich
James Madison University (Harrisonburg, VA 22807-0001)

Research and writing of a history of Sandy Beulah, a Black settlement in east-central Texas that was destroyed by mob violence in 1910.

“Buzzards over Texas” reconstructs the history and fate of the people of Sandy Beulah, a settlement of Black landowners in east-central Texas that was destroyed by mob violence in the summer of 1910. They dared to prosper, suffered for their ambition, and were forced into exile. Seven months after the massacre, they testified against their assailants in open court. Their testimony convinced the judge to deny the defendants bail. In this far corner of the Jim Crow South, it appeared, for a moment at least, that men who killed in the name of white supremacy might be held to account. Until they weren’t. Although the criminal courts ultimately failed to heed their demand for justice, the resilience and resolve of the Black people of Sandy Beuah teach us that it is never too late to confront and atone for the crimes of our collective past.