Downtown Decatur in DeKalb County, Georgia — The American South (South Atlantic)

Lynching in America
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Lynching in DeKalb County

Community Remembrance Project

Lynching in America Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, April 25, 2021

1. Lynching in America Marker

Inscription.
Lynching in America Following the Civil War, violent resistance to rights for African Americans, a need for heap labor, and an ideology of white supremacy led to fatal violence against Black women, men, and children. Thousands of Black people were the victims of racial terror lynching in the United States between 1877 and 1950. Lynching emerged as the most public and notorious form of racial terrorism and violence, intended to intimidate Black people and enforce racial hierarchy and segregation. Many African Americans were lynched following accusations of violating social customs, engaging in interracial relationships, committing crimes, even when there was no evidence tying the accused to any offense. African Americans accused of these alleged offenses often faced hostile suspicion and a presumption of guilt that made them vulnerable to mob violence and lynching. White mobs regularly displayed complete disregard for the legal system, seizing their victims from jails, prisons, courtrooms, or out of police hands without fear of legal repercussions. Racial terror lynchings often included burnings and mutilation, sometimes

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in front of crowds numbering in the thousands. In many cases, the names of lynching victims were not recorded, revealing the indifference towards the injustices committed against them. Although many victims of racial terror lynching will never be known, at least 592 racial terror lynchings have been documented in Georgia.

Lynching in DeKalb County Between 1877 and 1950, racial terror lynchings of African Americans by white mobs in DeKalb County created a legacy of violence and injustice that has not been previously acknowledged. On July 26, 1887, a black man named Reuben Hudson, Jr. was riding on a Georgia Railroad train when a conductor claimed that he resembled a man accused of assaulting a white woman in Redan. After the conductor turned Mr. Hudson over to local officers, he was sent to Redan the following day, where a mob of 100 white men seized and hanged Mr. Hudson from a tree. On April 3, 1892, a white mob from Lithonia pursued two black men who were accused of assaulting a white girl. Newspaper coverage was sparse and did not include their names. When the mob returned without the men, newspapers reported that it was

Lynching in DeKalb County Marker image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, April 25, 2021

2. Lynching in DeKalb County Marker

“generally understood that they were lynched." On August 21, 1945, Porter Turner, a black taxi driver who served white passengers, was found stabbed to death on a physician's lawn in Druid Hills. Officials assumed the motive was robbery. However, almost a year later, an informant revealed that members of the Klavalier Klub - a branch of the Georgia Ku Klux Klan - were responsible for his death. Each of these lynchings terrorized the black community, and the perpetrators of these lawless acts were not held accountable. Memorializing these known and unknown victims reminds us to remain persistent and diligent in the pursuit of justice for all.

Erected 2020 by Equal Justice Initiative, NAACP Dekalb Remembrance Project.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights. In addition, it is included in the Lynching in America series list. A significant historical date for this entry is April 3, 1892.

Location. 33° 46.445′ N, 84° 17.804′ W. Marker is in Decatur, Georgia, in DeKalb County. It is in Downtown Decatur. It is on North McDonough Street north of Trinity Place, on the right when

View of marker with the Dekalb County Courthouse in background. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, April 25, 2021

3. View of marker with the Dekalb County Courthouse in background.

traveling south. Located in front of the Dekalb County Courthouse. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 556 N McDonough St, Decatur GA 30030, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Georgia’s Piedmont

and in Metro Atlanta.

It is also in the American South

and specifically in the Deep South.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once the territory of the Mississippian Culture,

one of the original Thirteen Colonies,

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: The Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. in Decatur (within shouting distance of this marker); Marion Footman Wilson (within shouting distance of this marker); The Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Decatur (within shouting distance of this marker); DeKalb County Confederate Monument Contextualization (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Indian Trails of Dekalb County (about 300 feet away);

View from marker at N. McDonough St. image. Click for full size.

Photographed by Mark Hilton, April 25, 2021

4. View from marker at N. McDonough St.

Old Dekalb County Courthouse (about 300 feet away); Garrard’s Cavalry Raid (about 300 feet away); The Stoneman Raid (about 300 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Decatur.

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

Also see . . .
1. EJI article on the Lynching in Dekalb County. (Submitted on April 25, 2021, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama.)
2. Lynching in the United States. Wikipedia: According to the Tuskegee Institute, 4,743 people were lynched between 1882 and 1968 in the United States, including 3,446 African Americans and 1,297 whites. (Submitted on May 8, 2021, by Byron Hooks of Sandy Springs, Georgia.)

Photographed by Brandon D Cross

5. Lynching in DeKalb County Marker

“A Replica marker of one side is located at the Equal Justice Initiatives' National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Alabama. The Equal Justice Initiative supports efforts to locally memorialize documented victims of racial violence and to educate communities about the history of racial injustice.” Mark Hilton

Credits. This page was last revised on October 28, 2024. It was originally submitted on April 25, 2021, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. This page has been viewed 806 times since then and 63 times this year. Last updated on April 24, 2024, by Gianluca De Fazio of Harrisonburg, Virginia. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on April 25, 2021, by Mark Hilton of Montgomery, Alabama. 5. submitted on October 27, 2024, by Brandon D Cross of Flagler Beach, Florida. • Devry Becker Jones was the editor who published this page.

Lynching in America⎯⎯⎯Lynching in DeKalb County

Community Remembrance Project

Lynching in America
⎯⎯⎯
Lynching in DeKalb County