December 23, 2018
We are so grateful to you, Dear Friends of the Lynching Sites Project,
Because of your generous support in prayer, presence, and funding, The Lynching Sites Project of Memphis has had significant success realizing our vision of Opening our hearts and our communities to racial healing by shining the light of truth on lynchings in Shelby County, Tennessee.
Your generous support has allowed us to:
- Provide a safe space and place in Shelby County for the difficult conversation about racial healing and community engagement
- Assist in the video and audio production and presentation of lynching victims stories. Click on links to see An Outrage and An Accidental Drowning.
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Locating and uniting family members of lynching victims for the first time. Click here to read David Waters' story in The Commercial Appeal.
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Providing annual pilgrimages for descendants of lynching victims who travel great distances to participate. Click here to hear Michelle Whitney's remarks at the May 21, 2017 commemoration of her great-uncle, lynching victim El Persons.
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Engage diverse communities in racial healing and reconciliation efforts
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Provide support to community and church groups seeking to engage in the difficult conversations about racial terrorism.
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Provide historical context for current day challenges around issues of the racial divide. Read blog reflections about LSP members pilgrimage visits to EJI's Museum and Memorial: Habiba Tramel, Rev. Thomas Momberg, Carla Peacher-Ryan, and John Ashworth.
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Sponsor presentations and speakers to organizations and groups visiting Memphis, from the faith-based and academic community both nationally and internationally. Click on links to view presentations byRabbi Micah Greenstein, Representative Johnnie Turner, Dr. Margaret Vandiver, Wendi Thomas, Dr. Timothy Huebner, and Tom Carlson.
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Assist other communities in state and out doing the work of racial reconciliation and healing
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Provide direct support and assistance in Tennessee being the first state in the nation to pass legislation specifically addressing cold case civil rights violation in the United States. legislation. Click here to read about the signing of the Cold Case Bill into law.
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Dedicate Marker to Lynching Victim Lee Walker.
The work continues to grow. Dozens of volunteers have come forth, including many whose combined work, if they were to be paid, would easily cost a few hundred thousand dollars. We still need your prayers and financial support. In addition to our continuing work of maintaining the community dialog around the subject of racial healing we are engaging two very important endeavors in Shelby County:
A. The development of the Ell Persons Lynching Site along the Wolf River as a reflective location
B. Securing the Duplicate Column from the Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery, Alabama
Please share as much as your heart leads you to and as your means allow.
With gratitude, with hope, with love,
John Ashworth, Executive Director of the Lynching Sites Project of Memphis &Rev. Laura Gettys, Board President of the Lynching Sites Project of Memphis
