There was action taken by Southern vigilantes against Communist Party affiliates in Alabama in the 1930s, the ShareCroppers Union (SCU) and the Croppers' and Farm Workers' Union (CFWU.)

In July 1931 the CFWU was pushing for increased rights in Tallapoosa, Alabama and Sheriff Kyle Young raided their meeting place, assaulting several members. At a meeting soon after, Ralph Grey, a leader in the CFWU exchanged buckshot with the Sheriff and both were wounded while the white vigilantes attacked. As the other members of the CFWU fled "Someone in the group "poked a pistol into Brother Ralph's mouth and shot down his throat" There are many other instances of violence carried out by white mobs against Southern Communists (black and white) and there are three excellent books in regards to the organization of Southern Communists and the resistance they faced.

Hammer and Hoe: Alabama Communists During the Great Depression by Robin D.G. Kelley, Defying Dixie by Glenda Gilmore, and All Gods Dangers by Theodore Rosengarten. All three books are excellent resources for understanding African-American communism as well as black organizing in the South.