George Peck, a Black man lynched more than 100 years ago by a white mob, is being memorialized by the Montgomery County Lynching Memorial Project as part of the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI). Peck had been accused but not convicted of attempted assault of a white girl when he was…
Tag: Lynching
Descendants of Lynching Victims Disturbed by Trump’s Latest Claim
On Tuesday, President Donald Trump compared the impeachment proceedings against him to the lynching of Black people throughout history. Actual descendants of lynching victims have come out against the president’s claims. “Either he’s very ignorant or very insensitive or very racist and just doesn’t care,” Malinda Edwards, 66, told the…
Trump Compares Impeachment Inquiry to ‘Lynching’ in Swiftly Rebuked Tweet
President Donald Trump compared the House impeachment inquiry to a “lynching,” a term most associated with the mob hanging of Black men in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, in a tweet Tuesday morning, drawing backlash from both sides of the aisle but also getting support from Republican lawmakers…
Hillcrest High School Student Offers Via Snapchat to ‘Hang N— For Free,’ Suspended But Not Expelled
On Monday, a Hillcrest High School student in Greenwood County, S.C., was filmed holding what appeared to be a rifle in her left hand and in her right hand a poster with a threatening message which targeted African-Americans written in large letters reading, “We hang ******* for free.” The post…
Senate Backs Legislation to Make Lynching a Federal Hate Crime
It’s 2019 and lynching still hasn’t been properly outlawed. A bill, introduced by Sens. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Tim Scott (R-S.C.), was cleared on Thursday in the Senate to make lynching a federal crime. The measure will now go to the House. Harris, Booker and Scott are…
Nooses, Signs to Protest Mississippi's Racist History Found at State Capitol
Seven nooses were found at the Mississippi State Capitol on Monday. The nooses were discovered one day before the U.S. Senate runoff between Republican incumbent Cindy Hyde-Smith and former Democratic congressman Mike Espy, a Black candidate. Recently, Hyde-Smith has been blasted for making problematic comments about a “public hanging,” and…
FSU Fan Posts Meme Depicting Lynching of Football Coach Willie Taggart
Florida State University football fan, Tom Shand, posted images on his social media depicting coach Willie Taggart getting lynched. That disturbing image prompted outrage among FSU fans and social media users alike on Sunday morning. Apparently, Shand’s blatantly racist comment was prompted by FSU’s loss to Florida on Saturday. The…
Mississippi Senator Makes 'Reprehensible' Comment About 'Public Hanging'
U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.) will face Democratic candidate Mike Espy, a Black man, in a runoff election. In a video clip, which went viral on Sunday, she jokes about attending “a public hanging” — a method of domestic terrorism that killed hundreds of Black people in the state. Hyde-Smith…
Barbershop Owner Claims He Didn't Know Hanging a Colin Kaepernick Doll Was a Problem
Since 2016, a California barbershop owner has had a Colin Kaepernick doll hanging from a noose in his shop. A friend snapped the photo when he visited Bowtie Barbershop in Placerville. He noticed the doll hanging from the ceiling by a noose, FOX40 News reported. Joseph, the friend who didn’t…
National Memorial to Honor Lynching Victims Opens April 26
There was a time in the U.S. when white people would gather in public squares in the Deep South to witness Black men, women or children hanged, burned or amputated, sometimes all of the above. This form of domestic terrorism is a painful part of American history that Bryan Stevenson…