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Focusing on local history (Commercial Appeal Letter to the Editor)

Published in the Memphis Commercial Appeal on March 17, 2017 in Letters to the Editor

March 9, 2017 marks the 125th Anniversary of the People's Grocery Lynchings, also known as the Lynchings at the Curve. African Americans Thomas Moss, Calvin McDowell and William Stewart were the owners of a successful general store in 1892 located at the corner of what today is Mississippi Blvd. at Walker Ave. called People's Grocery.

William Barret, white owner of a store across the street, was losing business to People's Grocery and conflicts ensued. He was deputized by a local judge and given permission by a judge to “restore order” by forming a group to march on the People’ Grocery. Appeals by African American patrons of the store for protection by law enforcement were ignored. Moss’ name was sensationalized in local papers, saying he was the leader of a “black conspiracy against whites.”

To save others and the neighborhood from destruction Moss, McDowell and Stewart turned themselves in and were put in jail. At2:30 a.m. masked men entered the jail, forcibly removed all three and took them to an area nearby, shot them and mutilated their bodies. The Memphis Appeal-Avalanche reported that “there was no hooping, no loud talking…everything was done decently and in order.”

These men and this story need to be remembered by white Memphians in a spirit of reverence and repentance. Their memory should be honored by all of us as respected, successful citizens.

Rev. Randall Mullins
for the Lynching Sites Project of Memphis

Commercial Appeal, Letters to the Editor, 3/9/2017
Source date: 
Mar 9 2017 (all day)
Tags: 
Commercial Appeal, Randall Mullins
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The People's Grocery Lynchings (Thomas Moss, Will Stewart, Calvin McDowell)

Mar 9 1892 (all day)

In March of 1892, in a mixed race neighborhood called the Curve, near  Mississippi Blvd and Walker Avenue a white grocer named William Barrett found his business shrinking because of the success...

Research material

Polk's City Directory, 1891

Illustration from Memphis Appeal Avalanche, 3/10/1892

Memphis Appeal Avalanche, 3/10/1892

New York Sun 3-10-1892

New York Sun, 3/10/1892

New York Times, 3/10/1892

New York Times, 3/11/1892

Appeal Avalanche, Drawings of Calvin McDowell and Thomas Moss

Appeal Avalanche, Drawings of Calvin McDowell and Thomas Moss, 3/28/1892

Photo: Ida B. Wells, Maurine Moss, Betty Moss, and Tom Moss, Jr.

People's Grocery Historical Marker

Ida B Wells Historical Marker mentioning the People's Grocery Lynching

News

Courtesy University of Chicago, via Nathaniel C. Ball, MA of The Benjamin L. Hooks Institute for Social Change.

In 1892, Memphis and the world showed Thomas Moss HATE. Today, we can show his descendants LOVE.

YouTube

Ida B. Wells – The Light of Truth

YouTube

The Red Record: People's Grocery PART 2

The Red Record: People's Grocery PART 1

Ida B. Wells: The Lynching at the Curve (Feature film coming 2018)

The Benjamin L. Hooks Institute for Social Change
Illustration of the Peoples Grocery Lynching from the March 10th, 1892 edition of the Memphis Appeal-Avalanche

How the Location of the Peoples Grocery Lynching Was Rediscovered

Local news coverage of the 125th anniversary of People's Grocery Lynchings

History: Ida B. Wells

Ida B. Wells-Barnett and Her Passion for Justice, by Lee D. Baker
Site of the lynching (modern day)

Memphis and the Lynching at the Curve

The Benjamin L. Hooks Institute for Social Change (Nathaniel Collins Ball)
Content © Copyright The Lynching Sites Project of Memphis and respective authors
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