Honoring Victims of Racial Violence
Lynching Memorial in Glynn County (The Brunswick News, 9-21-2024)
RJGA’s Lynching Memorial Project
One of the goals of Racial Justice Georgia is to collectively face our history of racial violence. To do so, we hope to install lynching memorials in all the counties belonging to our diocese. These memorials are researched to include the names of each county’s lynched individuals as identified through the Equal Justice Initiative, the Mary Turner Project, and other appropriate sources.
Through these memorials, we do not only remember and honor those who died at the hands of racial hatred, but we also remind ourselves that violence against fellow human beings continues to this day. Each lynching memorial is made of granite, stands about 4 feet tall, and displays on top a bronze plaque that lists the names of all known lynching victims for each county.
Glynn County’s dedication ceremony.
Dr. Catherine Meeks and Bishop Frank Logue.
RJGA members unveiling the lynching memorial.
The Path To Your Own Memorial
If you want to work toward a memorial in your community, here are some points to consider:
- Build relationships with like-minded people
- Engage in a process of truth-finding and truth-telling
- Share your findings with your wider community
Once you decided to join our project, the following information may be of use:
- In discussions with community members, identify an appropriate location for your memorial.
- We are working with the Bailey Monument Company (BMC) to create our lynching memorials. Because BMC has its headquarters in Waycross and offices in Jesup, Tifton, and Valdosta, it can easily serve much of our diocese.
- The cost for each lynching memorial (production, transport, and installation) is about $4,500. RJGA can contribute matching funds of up to half of this amount.
- Reach out to us at any time if we can be of assistance by writing to RacialJusticeGA@gaepiscopal.org (please put “Lynching Memorial Project” into the subject line of your email).
