Charlotte Bombings, November 22, 1965
In the early morning of November 22, 1965, bombers targeted the homes of four prominent Charlotte civil rights leaders. The terrorists targeted four African American men--Kelly Alexander, a prominent NAACP leader; Fred Alexander, Kelly's brother and a member of the Charlotte City Council; Reginald Hawkins, a civil rights activist; and Julius Chambers, a civil rights lawyer. The Alexander brothers bore the brunt of the attack, for the bombers placed the explosives on the porches of their homes, causing extensive damage. The homes of Hawkins and Chambers suffered less damage because the perpetrators threw the bombs from moving vehicles.
There are many potential reasons why the homes of these men were targeted, but the most predominant and likely motivation was racism. In May of 1965, Fred Alexander became the first African American to serve on Charlotte's City Council. His election proved that many white voters supported him and were confident in his abilities, but the bombing demonstrated that not all were pleased with his position. The 1960s were a time of racial tension across the country, and all four men had been working hard to integrate Charlotte society.
The police never discovered who hurled the bombs at these four men's homes, but the memory of the event remained. Kelly's wife, Margaret Alexander, remembered that night during an oral history interview in 2001. Her words illustrate the fear invoked by the bombers.
There are many potential reasons why the homes of these men were targeted, but the most predominant and likely motivation was racism. In May of 1965, Fred Alexander became the first African American to serve on Charlotte's City Council. His election proved that many white voters supported him and were confident in his abilities, but the bombing demonstrated that not all were pleased with his position. The 1960s were a time of racial tension across the country, and all four men had been working hard to integrate Charlotte society.
The police never discovered who hurled the bombs at these four men's homes, but the memory of the event remained. Kelly's wife, Margaret Alexander, remembered that night during an oral history interview in 2001. Her words illustrate the fear invoked by the bombers.
Margaret and Kelly Alexander
But they never did catch the individuals, I guess, because they never did tell us nothing that they knew who did it. But that is when they all came together, it looked like. The community did come together and rally around that." |
I guess it must have been two o’clock in the morning or something like that when...we heard this noise, and he went to investigate. And the doors were blown in at the, when he opened the door, because, see, the hall door was closed. So when he opened he saw, saw and that everything--. And we smelled this sulfur and all coming in. And it had been a bomb placed on the porch, and blew a hole in there. And the windows were blown out; the door was blown in, all crashed in there. The chandelier shattered, and the cornice had blown down in the boy’s bedroom. And of course, by that time, however, after we heard this noise, it woke them up. If they had been awake and standing up, that would have been doxology for them, and for us, too, if we had been in the living room here. But it just so happened that we were in bed and they were in bed and...And that’s how they were saved in that respect." |
And the community did respond. But this community reaction included more than the Charlotte community, for Kelly and Margaret Alexander received sympathy letters from all over the country. Mere hours after the attack, national news channels and radio stations covered the story. Newspapers followed suit, including The New York Times. Kelly and Margaret Alexander received 96 letters in the two week period following the attack. The sending location of these letters demonstrates the community impact a man like Kelly Alexander had in his own community, as well as across the country.
This map geo-locates the mailing location of the sympathy letters received by Kelly and Margaret Alexander following the November 22, 1965 bombing of their home in Charlotte, North Carolina. The shades of plot points represent the varying mailing date ranges, with the lighter shades being those letters sent soon after November 22.
Date Ranges: November 22, 1965 - November 24, 1965; November 25, 1965 - November 27, 1965;
November 28, 1965 - December 1, 1965; December 4, 1965 - December 7, 1965; and December 9, 1965 - Unknown
Date Ranges: November 22, 1965 - November 24, 1965; November 25, 1965 - November 27, 1965;
November 28, 1965 - December 1, 1965; December 4, 1965 - December 7, 1965; and December 9, 1965 - Unknown
Charlotteans responded as well, sending a total of 28 letters in the two week period following the attack.
This map geo-locates the Charlotte mailing locations of the sympathy letters received by Kelly and Margaret Alexander following the November 22, 1965 bombing of their home in Charlotte, North Carolina. The shades of plot points represent the varying mailing date ranges, with the lighter shades being those letters sent soon after November 22.
Date Ranges: November 22, 1965 - November 24, 1965; November 25, 1965 - November 26, 1965;
November 29, 1965 - December 7, 1965; and December 9, 1965 - Unknown
Date Ranges: November 22, 1965 - November 24, 1965; November 25, 1965 - November 26, 1965;
November 29, 1965 - December 7, 1965; and December 9, 1965 - Unknown
Some senders responded immediately upon hearing the news.
24 people sent sympathy letters on November 22, 1965, the day of the attack.
24 people sent sympathy letters on November 22, 1965, the day of the attack.
This map geo-locates the mailing location of the sympathy letters received by Kelly and Margaret Alexander following the November 22, 1965 bombing of his home in Charlotte, North Carolina. The senders immediately mailed these letters after receiving the news on November 22.
The local and national community responded quickly to the early morning bombing of Kelly Alexander's, Fred Alexander's, Reginald Hawkins', and Julius Chambers' homes. The bombings may have been an act of hate, but they brought a national community together. Kelly Alexander's national prominence is evident in the sheer volume of sympathy letters received and the locations from which they were sent.
Margaret was right, "the community did come together after that."
Margaret was right, "the community did come together after that."
To see scans of the sympathy letters, or learn more about the history of the Alexanders and the other men targeted by the bombing, visit this site's resources page by clicking the button below.