A. J. Morton Funeral Home/ 1946 Columbia Race Riot

1946 Columbia Race Riot. In February 1946 a struggle between an African American World War II veteran, James Stephenson, and a white shopkeeper over a radio repair order sparked a riot, fueled by law enforcement officers who raided the African American business district without search warrants and confiscated weapons. Police arrested more than 100 African American men, charging 25 with attempted murder. With legal defense team Z. Alexander Looby, Thurgood Marshall, Leon Ranson, and Maurice Weaver, an all-white jury acquitted 23 of the 25 men. Because of this incident and others in the South, President Harry Truman established the President's Committee on Civil rights. A.J. Morton Funeral Home. In 1891 former slave J.M. Morton established the first undertaking business to serve African Americans in Maury County. Known later as A.J. Morton & Sons Funeral Home, descendants of Morton owned and operated the business for almost 100 years. Located in the center of the African American business district, this funeral home was vandalized during the 1946 Columbia Race Riot. Owner James E. Morton was charged as an accessory before the fact in connection with the riot but was acquitted. This incident was the first major post World War II racial incident in the state which demonstrated African American's willingness to openly oppose de jure segregation.