Ahmed Evans was self-styled Black Nationalist that was involved in a shoot-out with officers of the Cleveland Police Department in 1968 in Cleveland’s predominantly African American Glenville neighborhood. His story is largely forgotten today but there are lessons to be learned from Evans’ life, the reaction to George Floyd’s death, and the re-emergence of Black Lives Matter into the national spotlight. I originally wrote this paper for a class on the History of Terrorism at Cleveland State University.
History really does have important lessons to teach, if we take the time to listen.