Montgomery’s Riverfront Brawl Turns Three: “Lift Every Voice And Swing.”

Three years after the Montgomery Riverfront Brawl exploded across the internet, Roland Martin revisits the hat toss, Black Aquaman, the folding chair, and the moment Black people decided enough was enough.

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Three years after the Montgomery Riverfront Brawl became a global social-media phenomenon, Roland Martin revisits the images and moments that turned the fight into Black cultural history.

The brawl began after white recreational boaters refused to move so the Harriet II riverboat could dock. When co-captain Dameion Pickett tried to handle the situation, he was attacked. Then came the hat toss, the cavalry, Black Aquaman swimming across the water, and a confrontation that unfolded along clear racial lines.

Roland walks through the memes and remixes that followed, including “Here Come the Avengers,” “Fade in the Water,” and “Lift Every Voice and Swing.” The folding chair, the hat toss, and the rush of Black people coming to Pickett’s defense became symbols of resistance, unity, humor, and collective protection.

Dr. Derrick Jackson says the larger message was simple: enough was enough. Black people were no longer willing to stand around and watch a Black man be beaten while doing his job. Rebekah Caruthers points to the importance of Black media, recalling how RMU helped connect Pickett with legal representation after he appeared on the show without a lawyer. Robert Patillo argues that the anniversary should remain an annual reminder of what happens when Black people stand up.

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