The early 1950s turned out to be a very trying time in our country’s history. United States soldiers were fighting against communism in the Korean War while, on our own soil, racial tensions were heightened as one of history’s most well-known Supreme Court cases, Brown v. Board of Education, which centered around racial segregation in schools, was taking off. The case became a cornerstone of the civil rights movement during a period where our country’s values were in question.
Meanwhile, our nation as a whole was growing. With the Great Depression and World War II in the rearview mirror, our economy was thriving in conjunction with technological advances. New cars, motorcycles, suburban homes and consumer goods were available to more Americans than ever before.
In 1952, North Carolina’s Melvin Graham, found himself at the intersection of those two realities.
Read More