Sgt. Major John Green
June 12, 1919· Unknown, Birmingham, Alabama
- People
- Sgt. Major John Green
- Outcome
- unknown
On June 12, 1919, Sgt. Major John Green, an African American World War I veteran, was killed in Birmingham, Alabama, after asking a conductor for change aboard a segregated streetcar. Green was shot three times in the head. His death occurred during the "Red Summer" of 1919, a period of widespread racial violence against African Americans, including targeted attacks on Black veterans returning from military service. Green's killing exemplifies the violence faced by Black veterans who returned from World War I expecting to be treated as full citizens after serving their country. Many white Americans viewed Black veterans as a threat to the racial hierarchy, and their military service, uniforms, and expectations of respect made them particular targets for racial terror. The specific circumstances of Green's death—being killed for the simple act of asking for change on a streetcar—illustrates how any interaction in the Jim Crow South could become lethal for Black Americans, regardless of their service to the nation.