Member-only story
BLACK HISTORY
Racists Bombed My Great Uncle's Home. Now It's Hidden History
Dr. C.O. Simpkins' home destroyed in Bistineu Bombings
When Black Americans discuss this country's legacy of white domestic terrorism, we're often urged to forget the past. Conversations about racism are labeled impolite. Yet, for many of us, preserving these historical narratives is more than an academic exercise — it's also deeply personal. For example, authorities suspected members of the Ku Klux Klan of firebombing the home of my great-uncle, Dr. Cuthbert Ormond Simpkins, in 1962. As a civil rights activist, he "served closely with his friend Martin Luther King Jr" and became a founding member of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). As a result of his work, racists repeatedly targeted him. Such a narrative may sound polarizing in today's political climate. After all, many states have passed anti-critical race theory laws that limit such discussions in the classroom. Yet, for family and community members, reflecting on this history and sharing it with others is essential. We mustn't forget the resilience of those who fought for racial progress amid a cacophony of violent threats.
Simpkins, my maternal grandmother's brother, served in the U.S. Air Force and attended Wiley College, Tennessee State University, and…
