Strike and Trial in Henderson

Cover of Southern Newsletter featuring article on Henderson Strike and Trial
We hear that it’s July 1st. But we’re still writing June on our checks. So, perhaps, that means it’s okay to let you know about our latest This Month in North Carolina History—for June!

In November 1958 workers at the Harriet and Henderson Mills in Henderson went out on strike. Over the ensuing months their peaceful protest turned to one plagued by violence. In June 1959, eight men—strikers and regional leaders of the Textile Workers Union of America—were charged with conspiring to blow up several facilities in Henderson. The strike and trial gained national attention and served as a yet another battleground for the long struggle between unions and their opponents in the South.

Graham tallies souls (but not Truman’s) in D.C.

“For a place he once called ‘the most sinful city’ he had ever visited, Washington, D.C. has lent Evangelist Billy Graham a pretty respectful ear. By last week, at the end of a nine-week prayer ‘crusade’ there, Billy had preached to audiences totaling 500,000 people. Recorded conversions: 6,244.

” ‘And they were not just the ordinary people,’ Billy said. ‘As near as I can tell, we averaged between 25 and 40 Congressmen and about five Senators a night.’

“His one disappointment in Washington was his snub by Baptist Harry Truman, who failed to answer repeated invitations to attend the meetings. (Said Billy, ‘I guess he was just too busy or something.’) As a consolation prize, he went to Manhattan for an hour-long talk with Episcopalian Douglas MacArthur. ‘He is one of the most inspiring men I ever met,’ Billy said. ‘He is deeply religious.’ ”

— From Time magazine, March 3, 1952

Google Ngram measures Billy Graham vs. Billy Sunday