Montgomery in Montgomery County, Alabama — The American South (East South Central)

Racial Inequality in the United States

Photographed By Mark Hilton, May 31, 2018

1. Racial Inequality in the United States Marker

Inscription. Black and brown people in the United States often are presumed dangerous and guilty when thet have done nothing wrong. Our history of racial inequality has created conscious and unconscious bias that has resulted in racial discrimination against people of color by law enforcement and the criminal justice system. Police shootings of unarmed men, women, and children, racially biased and excessive sentencing of people convicted of crimes, and abusive prison conditions make mass incarceration a dominant issue for the and people of color.

Hank Willis Thomas (b. 1976)
Raise Up, 2016
Bronze

Erected 2018 by the Equal Justice Initiative.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights. A significant historical year for this entry is 2016.

Location. 32° 22.351′ N, 86° 18.744′ W. Marker is in Montgomery, Alabama, in Montgomery County. Marker is on Caroline Street south of Clayton Street. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 417 Caroline Street, Montgomery AL 36104, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Montgomery Racial Segregation on Buses (within shouting distance of this marker); The National Memorial for Peace and Justice (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line);

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The Transatlantic Slave Trade (about 300 feet away); Old Ship A.M.E. Zion Church (about 500 feet away); Kahl Montgomery/Catoma Street Church of Christ (about 800 feet away); Marching On (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Five Points Area: A Unique Blend of Communities in 1965 (approx. 0.2 miles away); Montgomery: Learning From the Past / Bernard Whitehurst and the Whitehurst Case (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Montgomery.

Related marker. Click here for another marker that is related to this marker.

Photographed By Mark Hilton, May 31, 2018

2. Racial Inequality in the United States Marker

The National Memorial for Peace and Justice is in the far background. The memorial notes the generations of black people terrorized, and their legacy of suffering and injustice.

Bronze monument by Hank Willis Thomas titled <i>Raise Up</i>. image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Mark Hilton, May 31, 2018

3. Bronze monument by Hank Willis Thomas titled Raise Up.

This bronze sculpture is based on a historical photograph from apartheid South Africa, and depicts a row of male heads turned against the wall, arms raised in the air. The art historian and critic Kerr Houston explained the source: “In Raise Up, Thomas gives us the heads and arms of ten of the thirteen black miners pictured by Ernest Cole as they undergo a humiliating medical examination, in the nude.” The shooting of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri, which spawned the protest phrase “Hands up, don’t shoot,” took place two months later. After that, this piece took on an unanticipated meaning.

Credits. This page was last revised on June 21, 2018. It was originally submitted on June 21, 2018, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 307 times since then and 44 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on June 21, 2018, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.