Local news coverage of the 125th anniversary of People's Grocery Lynchings
"More than 120 years ago, a tragedy in Memphis made the front page of the New York Times. Thursday marks the 125th anniversary of the People's Grocery Store Lynching..."
Focusing on local history (Commercial Appeal Letter to the Editor)
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.
Roger Taney, Dred Scott families reconcile 160 years after infamous Supreme Court decision
"The Scotts and the Taneys believe that Americans should learn from their history, not bury their history," they have said in a joint statement.
High Ground News article on LSP
“This country is what it is because (African-Americans) gave our full share and our full measure, as everyone else did. The difference is that we were denied the benefits of our labor,” he said. “When we look today at the problems in the black neighborhoods, we can look back and see that is because we were denied the benefits of our contributions. So, it’s important now to go back and look and understand the truth.”
Emmett Till's accuser admits her testimony was fabricated
The accuser "confessed that she had fabricated the most sensational part of her testimony...Her changed attitude, if genuine, might have real meaning today, what with a polarized electorate, renewed racial tensions, and organizations and Web sites promoting white supremacy.
Podcast: ID'ing lynching sites 'important for healing'
After four decades in the Army and the airline industry, John Ashworth is taking on a new challenge. Reclaiming history.
The Past for the Future, by Joshua Cannon
African-American historian John Ashworth will lead a citywide interfaith prayer service May 21st at the site where Persons was murdered, nearly 100 years to the date it occurred. Newspapers in 1917 created a spectacle of Persons' death for days leading to it, gathering thousands of people to what is now Summer and the Wolf River. After he was set afire, Persons was decapitated and taken to Beale Street, and his head was hurled at a group of black pedestrians.
Bryan Stevenson of EJI interviewed by The Intercept
Another great interview with Bryan Stevenson (excerpt): "Part of our work is aimed at trying to re-engage this country with an awareness and understanding of how our history of racial inequality continues to haunt us. I don’t think we’re free in America — I think we’re all burdened by this history of racial injustice, which has created a narrative of racial difference, which has infected us, corrupted us, and allowed us to see the world through this lens. So it becomes necessary to talk about that history if we want to get free."
Obama Signs Emmett Till Bill To Reopen Unsolved Civil Rights Cases
The law calls for “the full accounting of all victims whose deaths or disappearances were the result of racially-motivated crimes” and for authorities to hold criminals accountable.
Introducing John Ashworth, Project Manager for May 2017 Events
We are pleased and excited to share with you the news that John Ashworth will begin work on January 1 for the Lynching Sites Project of Memphis as Project Manager for the May 21, 2017 centennial commemoration of the lynching of Ell Persons. John’s contract will extend through June 2017.
Christmas 1951: Murder of a civil rights pioneer (Harry T. Moore)
A early leader in the civil rights movement in Florida and the first NAACP official killed in the struggle for civil rights died on Dec. 25, 1951, when a bomb exploded under the floorboards of his bedroom. The murder, done by members of the Ku Klux Klan in retaliation for calls for action against a Southern white sheriff, was never officially solved.
A slave mother's love in 56 carefully stitched words
Auslander believes this bag is a national treasure. He says we often think of slavery in the terms of suffering but, “we have to remember the narratives of resilience, of courage and of family continuity. You can't imagine a family being more terribly torn apart than by then by a slave auction of a 9-year-old little girl, but this family story continued.”
What the lynching memorial will force us all to face
“The story of the Negro in America is the story of America,” Jackson says, employing the eloquent words of Baldwin. “It’s not a pretty story.” But it is a troubling and complex one we all must know and do a better job of understanding. Like the brand-new National Museum for African American History and Culture here in Washington, the Memorial to Peace and Justice in Alabama will make that task a little easier.
Bryan Stevenson of EJI on PBS Newshour last night
Bryan Stevenson was interviewed for 5 minutes or more on PBS Newshour last night:
Life stories are important. History matters. Memory is sacred – Join our work.
Dear Friends, our life stories are important. History matters. Many would say memory is sacred and that real human community is not possible without it. We belong to one another as human beings through the common stories of our families, our nation and our local community.
Volunteer Opportunities
Especially as we plan toward events from February through June 2017 we have many needs for volunteers in addition to the faithful force which is already at work. We need people who care about our mission in such areas as overall planning and coordination, writing, social media, publicity, research, supporting local high school students, engaging artists and musicians in the Project, engaging area religious leaders in the work, and fund-raising.
America's Original Sin
We recommend America's Original Sin by Jim Wallis and its study guide as important resources, especially for group study and discussion groups. Jim Wallis has been respected as a religious leader across the nation since the 1960s. He identifies as a white evangelical Christian but he has won the respect of Roman Catholics and Liberal Protestants as well as leaders from the Islamic and Jewish communities. Published in 2016 the book includes updated reflections on events in Ferguson, Missouri and Charleston, South Carolina.
The Horror of Lynchings Lives On
The time when African-Americans were publicly hanged, burned and dismembered for insisting on their rights or for merely talking back to whites is nearer in history than many Americans understand.
History: Ida B. Wells
Ida B. Wells-Barnett was a fearless anti-lynching crusader, suffragist, women's rights advocate, journalist, and speaker. She stands as one of our nation's most uncompromising leaders and most ardent defenders of democracy.
Interview with Charlie Morris, brother of Jesse Lee Bond
The Lynching Sites Project of Memphis interviews 95-year old Charlie Morris whose brother, Jesse Lee Bond was lynched in Arlington, Tennessee in 1939.