Here Are More Boogie Men (And Women) Of Black History
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David Duke, leader of the Ku Klux Klan, patrols the California-Mexico border for illegal immigants in a “Klan Boder Watch” automobile
To put it lightly, things have not been easy for Black people in the United States. From slavery to segregation to police brutality, Black Americans have been through the wringer. But who were the figures responsible for these hardships?
Meet the boogie men of Black history, a.k.a the men (and women) whose policies and actions have haunted Black Americans throughout time. And yes, Ronald Reagan is on there!
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Robert E. Lee
RICHMOND, VIRGINIA - SEPTEMBER 08: The statue of Confederate General Robert E. Lee is removed from its pedestal on Monument Avenue on September 8, 2021 in Richmond, Virginia. The Commonwealth of Virginia is removing the largest Confederate statue remaining in the U.S. following authorization by all three branches of state government, including a unanimous decision by the Supreme Court of Virginia.
This one is kind of a no-brainer. Robert E. Lee was a confederate general during the civil war, who fought for the enslavement of Black Americans. There’s not really anything else you have to say about the man to justify his inclusion on this list.
Mrs. J.E. Andrews
Drinking Fountain with Sign “Colored” nailed to Tree near County Courthouse, Halifax, North Carolina, USA, John Vachon, U.S. Farm Security Administration, April 1938.
Unlike, Robert E. Lee, this is a name you probably don’t know. Mrs. J.E. Andrews was President of the Women’s National Association for the Preservation of the White Race, Georgia in the 1930s. She fought against anti-lynching efforts and said the NAACP was trying to destroy the “pure white race.”
Roy Bryant & J.W. Milam
J.W. Milam (left) and his half brother, Roy Bryant (right) were acquitted today in the Emmett Louis Till murder trial. The two still face a kidnapping charge in nearby Leflore Co. Mississippi. This comes up next November at Greenwood, MS.
Roy Bryant & J.W. Milam kidnapped, tortured, and killed 14 year-old Emmett Till in 1955. Despite, significant evidence of their guilt, the two men were acquitted by an all-white jury. They died without facing any consequences for killing a child.
Carolyn Bryant Donham
Carolyn Bryant and Juanita Milam (1927-2014), the wives of Roy Bryant and John William Milam, who stand accused of the kidnap and murder of Emmett Till, sitting in their husbands’ lawyer’s office across the street from the courthouse, reading newspaper accounts of the trial at Sumner courthouse in Sumner, Mississippi, September 1955. Black teenager Emmett Till was alleged to have whistled at Carolyn Bryant.
Carolyn Bryant Donham, wife of Roy Bryant, is another obvious addition to the list. Bryant Donham testified at her husband his brother’s trial that Emmett Till, 14, had assaulted her and whistled at her. Bryant Donham’s accusation not only set off the events of Till’s murder, it also helped Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam escape accountability. A Duke University historian later said that she had told him that she lied about the assault and that he made sexual advances towards her. She died in 2023.
Senator Strom Thurmond
(Original Caption) 1/20/70-Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania: Guest speaker Senator Strom Thurmond, R-S. Carolina, sits dejectedly after being pelted with marshmallows, January 20, upon completion of an address to students at Carnegie-Mellon Universtity. Ph: Jerry Siskind. BPA2 #4383
South Carolina Senator Strom Thurmond was an outspoken segregationist. Thurmond strongly opposed civil rights legislation to the point where he led a 24-hour filibuster to block the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1957. Thurmond spent 48 years in the Senate. He never renounced his racist views and he died in 2003 at 100 years old.
Eugene “Bull” Connor
(Original Caption) 5/10/1963-Birmingham, AL-Birmingham public safety commissioner Eugene “Bull” Connor (C) appears at a press conference announcing a bi-racial agreement to end racial strife in the city.
Eugene “Bull” Connor might not be a household name in the modern-era, but he certainly earned his spot on our list of boogie men. Connor was an ardent segregationist, who served as commissioner of public safety in Birmingham, Alabama during the civil rights era. Connor enforced segregation in what Martin Luther King Jr. called “the most segregated city in America.” with an iron fist, using hoses, dogs, and batons to beat demonstrators.
Ronald Reagan
We can’t have a list of folks whose actions have haunted Black Americans without a shout-out to former President Ronald Reagan. It’s easy to start with the overt racism, i.e. that time Reagan called a U.N. delegation from Africa “monkeys,” or his creation/exploitation of the “welfare queen” stereotype. But, we can’t talk Reagan without talking Reaganomics — his trickle down economic policy, which many scholars consider disastrous for Black Americans.
Donald Trump
ATLANTIC CITY, NJ - APRIL 19: Donald Trump and Marla Maples attend the Evander Holyfield vs. George Foreman boxing match at the Trump Plaza Hotel and Casino.
Although it may seem like Donald Trump made a total 360 when he started running for President, that couldn’t be further from the truth. In 1973, the Justice Department sued Trump Management, Trump, and his father for illegally discriminating against Black renters. And in 1989, Trump took out an advertisement calling for the deaths of five Black and Latino children who were wrongfully accused of raping a central park jogger. Trump has never apologized for calling for their deaths.
David Duke
A protester holds up a sign reading, “David Duke Nazi of the 90's,” interrupting David Duke’s speech during a campaign rally.
This ardent white supremacist is still a menace to this day. David Duke, former grand wizard of the modern Ku Klux Klan and a former Louisiana State Rep., is arguably the most recognizable right-wing hate figure in the United States. Duke has endorsed several Republican political candidates, including former President Donald Trump.
Justice Clarence Thomas
WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 07: United States Supreme Court Associate Justice Clarence Thomas poses for an official portrait at the East Conference Room of the Supreme Court building on October 7, 2022 in Washington, DC. The Supreme Court has begun a new term after Associate Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson was officially added to the bench in September. (
We don’t even have to get into the modern-era to explain this choice. In 1991, Anita Hill, a Black attorney and future esteemed Brandeis University law professor, accused Justice Clarence Thomas of sexually harassing her while he was her supervisor. (He denied the allegations). In the subsequent years, Justice Thomas has repeatedly voted to overturn major civil rights victories, including huge swaths of the Voting Rights Act and affirmative action in higher education.
Donald Trump Pt. 2
UNITED STATES - SEPTEMBER 16: Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump attends a campaign event with veterans at the Trump International Hotel on Pennsylvania Ave., NW, where he stated he believes President Obama was born in the United States, September 16, 2016. Medal of Honor recipient Mike Thornton, appears at right. (
Yes, Donald Trump is making a second appearance on this list. In 2011, Donald Trump became the main spokesperson for the “birther” movement — a racist conspiracy theory claiming that former President Barack Obama was not a U.S. Citizen. Trump spent years perpetuating this lie, which helped him grow a significant base of Republican support. It wasn’t until 2016, that Trump finally backed-away from his claims that the first Black president was born in Kenya. While in office, Trump defended said that there were very fine people on both sides during a neo-Nazi rally in Virginia. (There’s plenty more to say about Trump, but that would be its own list).
Paula Deen
LOS ANGELES, CA - OCTOBER 01: Paula Deen attends her book signing for ‘At The Southern Table’ at Barnes & Noble at The Grove on October 1, 2017 in Los Angeles, California
Remember the time that the Food Network dropped southern chef Paula Deen after she was was sued for racial discrimination and admitted to saying the N-word in a deposition? Because we do!
Stacey Dash
HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT - MARCH 18: Stacey Dash of ‘Clueless’ attends 90s Con on March 18, 2023 in Hartford, Connecticut.
Although Stacey Dash has renounced her support for Donald Trump, some of her comments while at Fox News have earned her a spot on this list. Dash defended Trump’s comments about the Charlottesville, Virginia, neo-Nazi rally where he said there were “very fine people on both sides.” She also called for an end to Black History Month, BET, and the BET awards — likening celebrating Black culture to segregation.
Candace Owens
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE - MAY 03: Candace Owens is seen on set of “Candace” on May 03, 2022 in Nashville, Tennessee. The show will air on May 03, 2022.
Obviously, we can’t have Stacey Dash on this list without Candace Owens. Owens has spent years putting down Black Americans, demonizing Black culture, calling Black Lives Matter activists terrorists, and saying that Black people who care about systemic racism are stuck in the past, and pretending to be oppressed.
Richard Spencer
GAINESVILLE, FL - OCTOBER 19: White nationalist Richard Spencer, who popularized the term “alt-right” speaks during a press conference at the Curtis M. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts on October 19, 2017 in Gainesville, Florida. Spencer delivered a speech on the college campus, his first since he and others participated in the “Unite the Right” rally, which turned violent in Charlottesville, Virginia.
Richard Spencer is an avowed White Nationalist who believes in the creation of white ethno-state for Europeans. He gained immense popularity among the new generation of the conservative movement with his “suit and tie” spin on white supremacy.
Tucker Carlson
HOLLYWOOD, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 17: Tucker Carlson speaks during 2022 FOX Nation Patriot Awards at Hard Rock Live at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Hollywood on November 17, 2022 in Hollywood, Florida.
Tucker Carlson may have lost his primetime spot on Fox News, but that doesn’t mean he’s off our radar. Carlson has a bunch of reasons to be on this list, but his promotion of the racist and dangerous “Great Replacement” theory, is a top contender.
Derek Chauvin
UNSPECIFIED LOCATION AND DATE: (EDITORS NOTE: Best quality available) In this handout provided by Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office, former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin poses for a mugshot after being charged in the death of George Floyd . Bail for Chauvin, who is charged with third-degree murder and manslaughter, is set at $500,000. The death sparked riots and protests in cities throughout the country after Floyd, a black man, was killed in police custody in Minneapolis on May 25.
In May of 2020, former Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin murdered George Floyd, a 46-year-old unarmed Black man, by kneeling on his neck for nine minutes. Chauvin was convicted of second-degree murder and sentenced to 21 years in prison.
Nick Fuentes
Conservative student and supporter of US President Donald Trump, Nick Fuentes, answers question during an interview with Agence France-Presse in Boston, Massachusetts, on May 9, 2016.
If you haven’t heard the name Nick Fuentes, it’s probably because you haven’t spent an unhealthy amount of time on the internet. Fuentes is an avowed white nationalist and misogynist social media figure who’s gained a foothold within the Republican party. He was a major backer of Donald Trump’s efforts to overturn the election and last year he met with the former President at Mar-a-Lago.
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis
CEDAR RAPIDS, IOWA - OCTOBER 08: Republican presidential candidate Florida Governor Ron DeSantis speaks to guests during a campaign event at Refuge City Church on October 08, 2023 in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.
From his attacks on reproductive rights, voting rights, Black history, and his attacks on transgender youth, it doesn’t take a ton of explaining to get why Ron DeSantis is on this list. (We also have an entire slideshow dedicated to the Florida Governor, if you need more info).
Alabama Attorney General Steve Marshall
WASHINGTON, DC - OCTOBER 04: Attorney General of Alabama Steve Marshall speaks to members of the press after the oral argument of the Merrill v. Milligan case at the U.S. Supreme Court on October 4, 2022 in Washington, DC. The Supreme Court heard oral argument of the case that challenge whether the new congressional map of Alabama violates the Voting Rights Act.
Chances are you don’t know who Steve Marshall is, but you should. Marshall serves as Attorney General of Alabama and has made it his mission to fight against more representation for Black Alabamans. Marshall has repeatedly fought court orders requiring the state to create a second majority Black district to give Black voters a fair chance to elect a candidate of their choosing.
Edward Blum
WASHINGTON, D.C. - OCTOBER 31: Edward Blum, the affirmative action opponent behind the lawsuits challenging admission procedures at Harvard University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, leaves the Supreme Court in Washington, D.C. on October 31, 2022. The Supreme Court is again examining whether universities may consider race when trying to build diverse student bodies, reviewing admissions policies at Harvard and the University of North Carolina
Edward Blum is a household name in conservative legal circles. After over a decade of trying to get rid of affirmative action in higher education, Blum’s legal group Students for Fair Admissions managed to successfully gut the policy over the summer. Blum hasn’t stopped there, earlier this year he targeted a venture capital group that gives grants to women-minority owned businesses. The group had to pause their grants as a result of the litigation.
Larry Elder
NEOLA, IOWA - JULY 06: Republican presidential candidate Larry Elder speaks to press during a campaign stop at the Pottawattamie County GOP Executive Council Social Hour on July 06, 2023 in Neola, Iowa. Elder, a conservative talk show host, turned up for the event alongside former Vice President Mike Pence.
Larry Elder recently announced that he was dropping out of the presidential race... that no one no he was running in. This Black conservative radio host is probably best known for repeatedly claiming that Black people are “exaggerating” racism, and implying that women at the Women’s March weren’t attractive enough to sexually assault.
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