Even symbolic Black protest has consistently triggered violent white backlash

Evidence

There has never been a time in United States history when Black rebellions did not spark existential fear among white people, often leading to violent response. Even when resistance has been peaceful or purely symbolic—such as Black fists raised during the medal ceremony at the 1968 Olympics or a knee taken on the football field during the national anthem nearly fifty years later—any sign of rebellion has frequently resulted in threats or acts of violence perpetrated by white vigilantes, militia groups, and the police, often culminating in the creation or strengthening of systems of racial and social control. — Nikole Hannah-Jones et al., The 1619 Project, 347

Categorization

• XREF: Parallels the noise book’s finding that panics tend to be directed at minority out-groups as symbolic targets — same pattern of ‘rebellion signals’ triggering control systems. — connects to: Everyday harassment failing to force black homebuyers out escalated whites toward lethal violence. — Kevin M. Kruse, White Flight: Atlanta and the Making of…, 126; Expanding black voting instantly reversed white officials’ refusal of black demands — Kevin M. Kruse, White Flight: Atlanta and the Making of…, 84