EJI and Bulloch County, Georgia, Residents Reckon with History of Racial Terror

On January 11, the Statesboro-Bulloch Remembrance Coalition and EJI dedicated a historical marker in Statesboro, Georgia, commemorating nine Black men who were victims of racial terror lynching in Bulloch County between 1886 and 1911.

The marker documents their names and the dates of the lynchings: Jake Braswell, July 15, 1886; Kennedy Gordon, April 11, 1901; Paul Reed and William Cato, August 16, 1904; Albert Roberts and another Black man, name unknown, August 17, 1904; Sebastian McBride, August 27, 1904; Thompson Gilbert, February 18, 1908; and Henry Jackson, April 21, 1911.

"Our group formed in 2019 after several members of our coalition visited the Legacy Museum in Montgomery, Alabama, and returned absolutely committed to the process of community remembrance," coalition co-chair Adrianne McCollar told the Statesboro Herald.

"For generations after the Civil War ended slavery, Black Bulloch County citizens were the victims of racial terror, and tonight we'll unveil a marker that confronts our history of a legacy of slavery and racial injustice," Ms. McCollar told more than 100 attendees at the unveiling ceremony. "This marker documents some of the most tragic times in our shared history, and no one living today is responsible for the lynching of the nine men listed on the marker that we'll unveil tonight."

"But every last one of us in here are absolutely responsible for ensuring that the legacy of racial injustice is completely dismantled, and this is part of that work."

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On July 23, EJI was thrilled to join community members in Statesboro to celebrate high school students who participated in a racial justice essay contest sponsored by EJI's Community Remembrance Project.

Dozens of family, friends, and community members gathered for the essay contest ceremony at the Willow Hill Heritage & Renaissance Center, a local history museum on the site of a high school that was established in 1874 by formerly enslaved people and educated generations of children for 125 years.

Student participants reflected on the topics they chose and talked about their writing experiences. One student wrote about voter suppression and the importance of voting. Through her research experience she plans to educate her peers on the history of voting rights. Another student reflected on the school-to-prison pipeline and the knowledge she gained from taking part in the contest. The audience gave the students a standing ovation as EJI's Jennifer Harris awarded the contest winners.

Lynching in Bulloch County

From 1886 to 1911, white mobs lynched at least nine Black people in Bulloch County. Suspicion alone-even in the absence of evidence or due process-caused many white people to presume a Black person's guilt. On July 15, 1886, a white mob abducted Jake Braswell following the alleged assault of a white girl and forced him to "choose" between being burned alive or hanged. They then tied him to a tree and riddled his body with bullets.

On April 11, 1901, Kennedy Gordon died after being shot repeatedly by a white mob that seized him from a constable who had arrested Mr. Gordon after reports of an attempted assault.

On August 16, 1904, a white mob of at least 100 people abducted Will Cato and Paul Reed from the courthouse, marched them to woods a mile north of here, and burned them alive. Hours later, white mobs lynched Albert Roberts in his home along with at least one other unidentified Black man. Five white men took Sebastian McBride from his home 10 days later, severely whipped him, and shot him to death.

On February 17, 1908, Thompson Gilbert was shot to death after being falsely accused of assaulting a white woman. In fact, Mr. Gilbert had been called by the woman's husband to treat her illness, but she screamed at the sight of a Black man in her home.

On April 21, 1911, a white mob hanged Henry Jackson and riddled his body with bullets after its leader alleged Mr. Jackson had threatened his wife. No one was ever held accountable for these lynchings.

Lynching in America

Thousands of Black people were victims of lynching in the U.S. between 1865 and 1950. During this era, lynching emerged as the most notorious and public form of racial terrorism, used to enforce racial hierarchy and segregation. Many Black people were lynched following accusations of violating the social order or committing crimes, even when there was no evidence tying them to any offense.

Black Americans often faced hostile suspicion and a presumption of guilt that left them vulnerable to white mob violence and lynching following any reports of a crime. Almost 25% of documented lynchings were sparked by allegations of sexual assault, at a time when any contact between a Black man and a white woman could be characterized as assault and aroused violent mobs.

Lynchings went beyond hanging, often including death by gunshot, burning, or mutilation. Local, state, and federal officials tolerated-and sometimes encouraged and participated in-these lawless killings of Black women, men, and children, especially by granting impunity to mob participants, who rarely faced criminal or communal consequences for their actions. Bulloch County victim Sebastian McBride identified three of his assailants as he was dying, but there is no evidence any were convicted.

Although many victims of racial terror lynching were not documented and remain unknown, at least 702 racial terror lynchings of Black people have been documented in the state of Georgia.

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