National

Jim Crow-Era Shooting Revisited in New Documentary

Published

10 years ago

January 2, 2015

In this Thursday, Dec. 18, 2014 photo, Alonzo Philmore, left, Harry Campbell, center, and Suwannee County NAACP president Leslie White stand in front of their church in Live Oak, Fla. (AP Photo/Jason Dearen)

JASON DEAREN, Associated Press

LIVE OAK, Fla. (AP) — On a sticky hot Sunday in August 1952, a wealthy black woman named Ruby McCollum walked through the “colored entrance” of a doctor’s office in the small north Florida town of Live Oak and fatally shot a white doctor, state Sen.-elect Clifford Leroy Adams.

Prosecutors told the all-white, all-male jury that McCollum shot the doctor after an argument over a $116 bill. Yet she was the wife of a prominent businessman who ran a gambling outfit, and she was carrying around $1,800 in her purse on the day she shot him.

She testified that Adams, the son of a powerful political family who was known around town for caring for the poor, had forced her into a long sexual relationship that resulted in an unwanted child, and that she shot him in self-defense.

The case is the focus of a new documentary titled “You Belong To Me,” which compiles a decade of research and interviews with family members, reopening old wounds in this small Southern town nestled amid farm country.

The slaying stirred racial tensions in Jim Crow-era Suwannee County, when robed Ku Klux Klansmen regularly marched through Main Street in a show of force and lynchings were common in the Deep South.

“Both families were negatively affected by this tragedy. A doctor and a wealthy powerful couple in town were gone in a flash,” said Eric Musgrove, a local historian and court clerk who give talks on the case to schools and other groups.

McCollum was found guilty and sentenced to death at her first trial but later avoided execution by winning an insanity plea. She was eventually moved to a state mental hospital. In 1974 she was freed after the state’s high court found her legally insane, meaning her sentence was commuted. She died in 1992.

The sordid tale of sex, race and violence has inspired others to tell McCollum’s story, with different conclusions about her motivations.

William Bradford Huie’s book “The Crime of Ruby McCollum” inspired the new documentary. In his telling, McCollum’s relationship with Adams was consensual, and she became a drug addict and killed him after losing her mind. McCollum had been receiving injections of some kind of intoxicating substance from Adams, but it was unclear whether she sought them out or he used the drugs to take advantage of her.

Huie’s conclusion didn’t seem right to the documentary’s producer Jude Hagin, a Florida film commissioner who discovered Huie’s book 14 years ago.

Family members told Hagin and the film’s researchers that McCollum was well-educated and prosperous and that the family believed the doctor had used drugs to control her.

“I could not wrap my head around the story, that a woman of Ruby McCollum’s stature … would see anything that could be a good future for her to have a sexual relationship with a white doctor,” Hagin said.

“I wanted to get family members on both sides to tell their side of the story,” Hagin said.

Trial transcripts from 1952 show that Ruby told jurors that she felt pressure to do what Adams told her to do, though the jury was told to disregard much of her testimony after the judge allowed dozens of objections from prosecutors.

“I was just so worried, I had to either yield or maybe die, I suppose that was what would happen,” Ruby McCollum testified, according to trial transcripts.

The film’s researchers also found that Adams had a dark side that jurors never saw. In Live Oak, he was a respected doctor who helped the poor — but records show he forged letters of recommendations to get into medical school. Also, McCollum testified that Adams had a friend deliver the baby they had together and that she never received a birth certificate. He needed to hide the baby because it was around the time he was running for state senate.

Sam McCollum Jr., one of McCollum’s children, told the filmmakers that a white doctor in the Jim Crow-era South was akin to a “God in the community.”

In the black community, the McCollum case was spoken of only in whispers, said Tameka Hobbs, a history professor at Florida Memorial University who grew up in Live Oak.

“With Ruby there was so much shame in the black community because of the sexual liaison, they really did not want to talk about it,” Hobbs said.

“You Belong to Me” doesn’t give viewers a definitive conclusion, but it sheds new light on the case and has sparked new discussions about race. Musgrove, the local historian, is receiving more requests for presentations on the case. Hagin hopes the documentary helps inspire funding for a feature film, which actor James Brolin has signed on to direct, should they get the money.

Live Oak today is a much different town than the one where Adams was slain, but the ornate 1904 courthouse where the McCollum trial took place is still the largest building around.

And issues of race still make headlines. The Southern Poverty Law Center in 2012 filed a federal civil rights complaint after a study found black children in Suwannee County and four other Florida school districts were punished or arrested at a higher rate than other students.

Some in Live Oak’s black community say that the case is still something older generations won’t talk about but that they see hope in new generations.

“Younger kids here do have better relationships with whites today,” said Alonzo Philmore, former president of the NAACP’s local chapter.

“But with older folks there’s still a great divide.”

___

Online:

http://www.youbelongtome.net/

___

Follow Jason Dearen on Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/JHDearen

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

Up Next

Cleveland Seeks Outside Probe of Boy’s Shooting

Oakland Post

Click to comment

Activism

Juneteenth: Celebrating Our History, Honoring Our Shared Spaces

It’s been empowering to watch Juneteenth blossom into a widely celebrated holiday, filled with vibrant outdoor events like cookouts, festivals, parades, and more. It’s inspiring to see the community embrace our history—showing up in droves to celebrate freedom, a freedom delayed for some enslaved Americans more than two years after the Emancipation Proclamation was signed.

Published

1 day ago

June 18, 2025

Oakland Post

Wayne Wilson, Public Affairs Campaign Manager, Caltrans

By Wayne Wilson, Public Affairs Campaign Manager, Caltrans

Juneteenth marks an important moment in our shared history—a time to reflect on the legacy of our ancestors who, even in the face of injustice, chose freedom, unity, and community over fear, anger, and hopelessness. We honor their resilience and the paths they paved so future generations can continue to walk with pride.

As we head into the weekend full of festivities and summer celebrations, I want to offer a friendly reminder about who is not invited to the cookout: litter.

At Clean California, we believe the places where we gather—parks, parade routes, street corners, and church lots—should reflect the pride and beauty of the people who fill them. Our mission is to restore and beautify public spaces, transforming areas impacted by trash and neglect into spaces that reflect the strength and spirit of the communities who use them.

Too often, after the music fades and the grills cool, our public spaces are left littered with trash. Just as our ancestors took pride in their communities, we honor their legacy when we clean up after ourselves, teach our children to do the same, and care for our shared spaces.

Small acts can inspire big change. Since 2021, Clean California and its partners have collected and removed over 2.9 million cubic yards of litter. We did this by partnering with local nonprofits and community organizations to organize grassroots cleanup events and beautification projects across California.

Now, we invite all California communities to continue the incredible momentum and take the pledge toward building a cleaner community through our Clean California Community Designation Program. This recognizes cities and neighborhoods committed to long-term cleanliness and civic pride.

This Juneteenth, let’s not only celebrate our history—but also contribute to its legacy. By picking up after ourselves and by leaving no litter behind after celebrations, we have an opportunity to honor our past and shape a cleaner, safer, more vibrant future.

Visit CleanCA.com to learn more about Clean California.

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

#NNPA BlackPress

Tiguan’s AI Touchscreen & Gear Shift: VW Just Changed the Game! #2

Explore the Tiguan’s cutting-edge 12.9-inch infotainment touchscreen featuring wireless Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, voice control, and a new AI assistant. See how VW innovatively moved the gear shifter to the steering column, enhancing the center console and navigation system! #AutoNetwork #Tiguan #Infotainment #AppleCarPlay #AndroidAuto #AISystem #NavigationSystem #CarTech #TechReview #CarInnovation #Automotive

Published

3 days ago

June 17, 2025

Oakland Post

https://youtube.com/watch?v=0xUKM6U2Lpc&autoplay=0&cc_lang_pref=en&cc_load_policy=0&color=0&controls=1&fs=1&h1=en&loop=0&rel=0

Oakland Post

Posts by Oakland Post

#NNPA BlackPress

IN MEMORIAM: Legendary Funk Pioneer Sly Stone Dies at 82

Sly Stone’s musical approach radically reshaped popular music. He transcended genre boundaries and empowered a new generation of artists. The band’s socially conscious message and infectious rhythms sparked a wave of influence, reaching artists as diverse as Miles Davis, George Clinton, Prince, Dr. Dre, and the Roots.

Published

3 days ago

June 17, 2025

Oakland Post

Sly and the Family Stone play the Opera House in Bournemouth. Mojo review. Photo by Simon Fernandez.

By Stacy M. Brown
BlackPressUSA.com Newswire

Sylvester “Sly” Stewart—known to the world as Sly Stone, frontman of the groundbreaking band Sly and the Family Stone—has died at the age of 82.

His family confirmed that he passed away peacefully at his Los Angeles home surrounded by loved ones, after battling chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and other health complications.

Born March 15, 1943, in Denton, Texas, Stone moved with his family to Vallejo, California, as a child. He began recording gospel music at age 8 with his siblings in a group called the Stewart Four. By his teenage years, he had mastered multiple instruments and was already pioneering racial integration in music—an ethos that would define his career.

In 1966, Sly and his brother Freddie merged their bands to form Sly and the Family Stone, complete with a revolutionary interracial, mixed-gender lineup.

The band quickly became a commercial and cultural force with hits such as “Dance to the Music,” “Everyday People,” and “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)”—all penned by Stone himself.

Their album “Stand!” (1969) and live performances—most notably at Woodstock—cemented their reputation, blending soul, funk, rock, gospel, and psychedelia to reflect the optimism and turmoil of their era.

As the 1970s progressed, Stone confronted personal demons. His desire to use music as a response to war, racism, and societal change culminated in the intense album “There’s a Riot Goin’ On” (1971). But drug dependency began to undermine both his health and professional life, leading to erratic behavior and band decline through the early 1980s.

Withdrawn from the public eye for much of the 1990s and early 2000s, Stone staged occasional comebacks. He was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1993, received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Grammys in 2017, and captured public attention following the 2023 release of his memoir “Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin)”—published under Questlove’s imprint. He also completed a biographical screenplay and was featured in Questlove’s documentary “Sly Lives!” earlier this year.

His influence endured across generations. Critics and historians repeatedly credit him with perfecting funk and creating a “progressive soul,” shaping a path for racial integration both onstage and in the broader culture.

“Rest in beats Sly Stone,” legendary Public Enemy frontman Chuck D posted on social media with an illustrative drawing of the artist. “We should thank Questlove of the Roots for keeping his fire blazing in this century.”

Emmy-winning entertainment publicist Danny Deraney also paid homage. “Rest easy Sly Stone,” Deraney posted. “You changed music (and me) forever. The time he won over Ed Sullivan’s audience in 1968. Simply magical. Freelance music publicist and Sirius XM host Eric Alper also offered a tribute.

“The funk pioneer who made the world dance, think, and get higher,” Alper wrote of Sly Stone. “His music changed everything—and it still does.”

Sly Stone is survived by three children.