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

Michael Donald

Photographed by Mark Hilton, December 10, 2017

1. Michael Donald Marker

Inscription. On March 21, 1981, 19-year-old Michael Donald was abducted, beaten, killed and hung from a tree on this street by members of the Ku Klux Klan. He was randomly selected in retaliation for an interracial jury failing to convict a black man for killing a white Birmingham policeman. The lynching was intended to intimidate and threaten blacks. Two Klansmen were arrested and convicted. Morris Dees, cofounder of the Southern Poverty Law Center, and Alabama state Senator Michael Figures filed suit on behalf of Michael Donald's mother, Beulah Mae Donald. A jury awarded her $7 million, bankrupting the United Klans of America. In 2006, Mobile renamed Herndon Avenue as Michael Donald Avenue.

Erected by the African-American Heritage Trail of Mobile. (Marker Number 27.)

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Notable Events. In addition, it is included in the Dora Franklin Finley African-American Heritage Trail of Mobile series list. A significant historical date for this entry is March 21, 1981.

Location. 30° 41.423′ N, 88° 3.79′ W. Marker is in Mobile, Alabama, in Mobile County. It

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is on Michael Donald Avenue north of Old Shell Road, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 114 Michael Donald Avenue, Mobile AL 36604, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Alabama’s Gulf Coast

and in Mobile Bay.

It is also in the American South,

specifically in the Deep South,

and on the Gulf Coast.

Globally, it is in North America,

a Gulf of Mexico state,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain,

the Viceroyalty of New France,

the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the Confederate States of America,

and the Antebellum South.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Caldwell School (approx. 0.4 miles away); John L. LeFlore (approx. 0.4 miles away); Joseph (Joe) N. Langan (approx. 0.4 miles away); Mobile City Hospital (approx. half a mile away); Protestant Children's Home (approx. half a mile away); Dr. James A. Franklin (approx. half a mile away); U.S. Marine Hospital (approx.

View from marker looking north on Michael Donald Avenue. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, December 10, 2017

2. View from marker looking north on Michael Donald Avenue.

half a mile away); Vivian Malone Jones (approx. 0.6 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Mobile.

Regarding Michael Donald. This event is considered to be the last American lynching.

Also see . . . Wikipedia article on the Murder of Michael Donald. (Submitted on December 12, 2017, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.)

View from marker looking south on Michael Donald Avenue. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, December 10, 2017

3. View from marker looking south on Michael Donald Avenue.

Credits. This page was last revised on December 12, 2017. It was originally submitted on December 12, 2017, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 2,693 times since then and 163 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on December 12, 2017, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.