W.E. A.L.L. B.E.: Lest We Forget: World War One Veteran & Philanthropist Casualty In War On The Homefront.

Lest We Forget: World War One Veteran & Philanthropist Casualty In War On The Homefront.

Isadore Banks

(7/6/1893-6/5/1954)

“Brave men do not gather by thousands to torture and murder a single individual, so gagged and bound he cannot make even feeble resistance or defense.” ~Ida B. Wells-Barnett

“American history is longer, larger, more various, more beautiful, and more terrible than anything anyone has ever said about it.” “To be a Negro in this country and to be relatively conscious is to be in a rage almost all the time.” ~James A. Baldwin

“Where justice is denied, where poverty is enforced, where ignorance prevails, and where any one class is made to feel that society is an organized conspiracy to oppress, rob and degrade them, neither persons nor property will be safe.” ~Frederick Douglass

We must honor Isadore Banks’ memory by bringing restorative justice and restitution to his family and beloved community as well as never forgetting his story or his sacrifice…Isadore Banks was a World War One veteran who was one of the wealthiest Blacks in Arkansas...He was a philanthropist for the Black community of Marion, Arkansas…He helped bring electricity to Marion and Crittenden County…he was nicknamed “The Bank” for his generosity in giving out money to help others start businesses and take care of their families…

On June 4, 1954, Isadore Banks was kidnapped by his supposed Black friends when he left the bank to get money to pay the wages of his employees. One of the Blacks drove his truck around to deceive the town folks into thinking that it was Isadore Banks driving around and that all was well…Around that time Banks had to flee for his life to the safe harbor of a supportive neighbor, the Gammons, when a lynch mob of whites wanting to take his land, wealth and life came looking for him...

He Was Too Black, Too Proud & Too Independent

He was lynched because he refused to sell his land to white folks...He was too black, too proud and too independent to bow down to White Supremacy Jim Crow style…He was castrated, his penis stuffed in his mouth, viciously beaten, chained to a tree and set on fire...He was a big man at 6' 6" tall and 300 pounds, but he was only half that size after his upper body was incinerated by flames... He was gruesomely tortured before he was killed… According to the coroner, one of his arms and his penis were both blowtorched off…They could only identify his body by his feet and shoes...He wore a size 13...

Dorothy Williams says that her father was a hero to Blacks and feared by whites because of his wealth and land… He was allegedly tortured for days and folks could hear his unearthly moans and groans both day and night throughout the countryside… When the authorities found the remains of Isadore Banks they also found his truck with the battery run down, his car key still in the ignition and his rifle was found unfired inside which implied that he knew his assassins or that he was taken by surprise (probably a combination of both).

Although Isadore Banks was a Prince Hall Free Mason, the Masons received numerous death threats (including the genocidal elimination of everyone at the funeral) if they showed up at Banks' funeral to perform Masonic Rites. Isadore Banks was finally given his Masonic Rites Oct. 2, 2010.

He was also a World War One veteran, but he did not get a proper military burial sendoff until April 2010, almost 56 years after his murder!!!

Ain't No Justice, Just Us!!!

Isadore Banks' original land deeds were purposely destroyed after his death which suggests a political conspiracy of immense proportions…It is quite obvious that if you follow the paper trail or lack thereof of those who illegally owned and used the land from the time of Mr. Banks’ death up until the present time that you can find at least some of the culprits truly responsible for the violation of Mr. Banks’ human and civil rights which culminated in his grisly death and the ruthless takeover of his estate.

The F.B.I. found copies of Isadore Banks' land deeds in 2006, but now they are “missing”…The F.B.I. destroyed files on the Isadore Banks case in 1992! The FBI destroyed invaluable files on the Isadore Banks' cold case and now they are allegedly stonewalling his granddaughter, Marcelina Williams, trying to seek justice...The case is still unsolved. There was no official investigation done into the murder of Isadore Banks. No one was ever brought to justice for the lynching.

Motives For Murder

Several Blacks and numerous whites MAY HAVE wanted Isadore Banks dead FOR THREE POSSIBLE & SPECIFIC REASONS: Debt Owed, Serial Womanizing & Land.

Isadore Banks kept a detailed ledger of how much money Black folks in Marion, Ark. owed him. And he was by all accounts owed a lot. The ledger is currently in safekeeping of a family friend.

The Whites and some Blacks were also mad at Isadore Banks because he was a handsome ladies’ man and a prolific womanizer...Many women both Black and white could not resist his combination of charm, looks and money…

Mr. Banks, although he owed close to 2,000 acres of land, also leased land from an Italian lady to grow certain crops. It was rumored that the Italian lady and Mr. Banks were having an affair because she wouldn’t let others including the whites used her land for similar purposes. This no doubt raised the ire of several powerful entities.

Mr. Banks’ granddaughter, Marcelina Williams, also offered up another theory or motive for his death. A White man was allegedly brutally beaten by Mr. Banks for trying to inappropriately advance himself on Mr. Banks’ eldest daughter. Back then, a Black man raising his hand against a White man in the deep American South was a “no no” regardless the reason. Although we may never know the exact reason, we now do know the consequences of his death and who benefited greatly from Mr. Banks’ demise.

Crittenden County Should Be Labeled A Crime Scene!

After Banks’ death, his land and businesses were illegally seized by his killers and their co-conspirators… The Black traitors took over his businesses while the whites took his land…$90,000 plus dollars that Isadore Banks had in his bank account went missing as well…The land that was illegally seized after Isadore Banks' death is now covered with 6 figure dollar homes, hotels, restaurants and retail store outlets.

Many Blacks families left Marion, basically fleeing for their lives, without selling land due to the murder of Isadore Banks. At that time there was also a vendetta against anyone related to Isadore Banks living in Marion and Crittenden County.

Some of those who chose to stay also suffered a similar fate as Banks…A family of 4 Black sisters were killed for their land.

Many Blacks in Marion and Crittenden County are still afraid to talk about the murder of Isadore Banks…Folks are still fighting to keep their land in Marion, Arkansas, some 56 years after Isadore Banks' gruesome death.

Never Too Late For Justice

Dorothy Williams was only 7 years old at the time of her father's death…Her father put her and her family on a truck nonstop to St. Louis before he was killed…Her daughter, Marcelina Williams, is currently leading the crusader’s charge in rectifying as much as possible the tragedy that not only befallen her grandfather, but has also traumatically affected the entire family for generations…

More W.E. A.L.L. B.E. Media Coverage Of Isadore Banks Story

Recently, W.E. A.L.L. B.E. News was honored by the chance to interview these two strong Black women about their relative’s assassination, pursuit for justice and peace of mind…We hope whether in written form, podcast, and/or video that our supporters will help us amplify this powerful and tragic story by sharing it through your networks and beyond.

The Following Radio Podcast & Documentaries Are The Fruits Of Those Conversations…Please Share: