The Lynching of Henry White / Racial Injustice in America

The Lynching of Henry White, also, Racial Injustice in America. Community Remembrance Project. The Lynching of Henry White. On September 20, 1916, Henry White, a 24-year-old African American was lynched by a large white mob in the city of Durham in Walker County. Georgia. Mr. White had come to Durham from Chattanooga, Tennessee and worked as a miner in the Pittsburg-Durham coal mines. Earlier that morning. it was reported that the white daughter of a local justice of the peace had been assaulted by a black man. Without investigation or further scrutiny, a mob of at least 300 white men quickly gathered with guns and hounds to search for the alleged assailant. After a few hours, the mob found Mr. White and presumed he was guilty of the assault. It was later reported that Mr. White and this white woman may have been in a consensual relationship. When the mob confronted him, an exchange of gunfire ensued. Mr. White was wounded as he tried to resist the mob's attack and was captured. With Mr. White in hand, the mob made "no attempt at secrecy" to conceal their identities or plans, even after law enforcement officers arrived. Despite their legal authority, the officers made no arrests and failed to restrain the mob. Reports stated that Mr. White allegedly confessed, pleading for his constitutional right to trial. Denying his plea, the mob hanged him to a tree with a log chain. Henry White's death was officially ruled a homicide, but in the end, no one was held accountable for his lynching., Racial Injustice in America. Between 1877 and 1950, thousands of African Americans were victims of mob violence and lynching across the United States. Following emancipation, white Southerners used fatal violence against Black women, men and children to fiercely resists equal rights for African Americans and to uphold an ideology of white supremacy. Lynching emerged as the most public and notorious form of racial terrorism, which state, federal and local officials largely tolerated by not holding white mobs accountable for their crimes against Black victims of racial terror lynching. Many African Americans were lynched for resisting economic exploitation, violating perceived social customs, engaging in interracial relationships, or being accused of crimes even when there was not any evidence tying the accused to any offense. In Walker County and the Lookout Mountain Judicial District, white residents often used threats of violence to intimidate and disenfranchise Black community members, many of whom were forced to leave their homes and communities to seek safety elsewhere. Although the names and stories of many victims may never be known, the Lookout Mountain Judicial District had at least eight documented racial terror lynchings: one in Walker County, two in Dade County, two in Catoosa County and three in Chattooga County. With at least 589 documented racial terror lynchings, Georgia had one of the highest rates of lynching in the nation.