Matt Ingram-Reckless Eyeballing
Reckless Eyeballing—The Matt Ingram Case:
During Jim Crow segregation, a person (of color) could be accused of “reckless eyeballing”, which was a perceived improper look at a white person, presumed to have sexual intent. Matt Ingram ( a black tenant farmer) was convicted of this offense in Yanceyville, North Carolina in 1951.
Reckless Eyeballing—The Matt Ingram Case:
During Jim Crow segregation, a person (of color) could be accused of “reckless eyeballing”, which was a perceived improper look at a white person, presumed to have sexual intent. Matt Ingram ( a black tenant farmer) was convicted of this offense in Yanceyville, North Carolina in 1951.
Matt Ingram was among the last convicted under this framework, in a 1951 case made notorious by Civil Rights activists in North Carolina. A seventeen year old white woman named Willa Jean Boswell testified that she was scared when her neighbor Ingram looked at her from an approximate distance of 65ft.
Prosecutors demanded a conviction of assault with intent to rape that was reduced to assault on a female by the Judge, leading to a two year sentence. He was defended by a white Lawyer, Ernest Frederick Upchurch Sr.
At the appeal in Superior Court, the Judge instructed the jury that Ingram was guilty if he used “intentional threats or menace of violence such as looking at a person in a leering manner, causing another to reasonably fear imminent danger.” The all white jury once again returned a conviction, leading to a six-month sentence on the chain-gang, suspended for five years.
However, following pressure from the NAACP and African American Media Outlets like Ebony, the North Carolina Supreme Court vacated the conviction, because, “it cannot be said that a pedestrian may be assaulted by a look,however frightening, from a person riding in an automobile some distance away... He may have looked with lustful eyes, but there was the absence of any overt act.” The look alone no longer represented grounds for conviction.
People continued to be convicted of assault if there was “reasonable apprehension” of danger, such as body movement, in the direction of the person under observation and so on.
Ingram spent over Two years in prison while his three trials took 2 1/2 years to resolve [State v. Ingram , 74 S.E. 2d 532 (N.C.1953]
Ingram died in 1973
The Hawley Museum is passionately committed to uncovering and sharing the fascinating family stories that have influenced our state's and nation's history. We believe that every family has a unique story to tell, one that adds depth to the rich tapestry of North Carolina and U.S. History.
We encourage you to reflect on your own family narrative—did your ancestors play a pivotal role in these historical events? We invite you to become a part of our family curator team by sharing your family's history, whether it be through photos, videos, articles, or documents.
Let’s work together and weave a more comprehensive narrative that honors the roles families have played in our collective past to inspire future museum visitors.
The Hawley Museum is passionately committed to uncovering and sharing the fascinating family stories that have influenced our state's and nation's history. We believe that every family has a unique story to tell, one that adds depth to the rich tapestry of North Carolina and U.S. History.
We encourage you to reflect on your own family narrative—did your ancestors play a pivotal role in these historical events? We invite you to become a part of our family curator team by sharing your family's history, whether it be through photos, videos, articles, or documents.
Let’s work together and weave a more comprehensive narrative that honors the roles families have played in our collective past to inspire future museum visitors.