New Memorial Confronts History Of Racial Lynching

Caption

The National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Alabama opens to the public April 26.

The National Memorial for Peace and Justice details a painful legacy in American history: the lynchings of thousands of African-American men, women and children. 

Celeste Headlee, GPB special correspondent, speaks with Doria Johnson and professor E.M. Beck about the history of lynching in the South. Johnson's great-great grandfather was lynched in South Carolina.

Located in Montgomery, Alabama, the memorial opens to the public April 26. The site centers around a memorial square with 800 six-foot monuments, symbolizing the victims of racial lynching and the counties where they were killed.

GPB Special Correspondent Celeste Headlee spoke with E.M. Beck and Doria Johnson about this troubling chapter of history. 

Guests

E.M. Beck​, professor emeritus of sociology, University of Georgia

Doria Johnson, great-great granddaughter of South Carolina lynching victim 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cOb2xpoXe_I