How Georgia Counties Which Commemorate Lynchings Compare To Those That Don't

By John A. Tures, Professor of Political Science, LaGrange College On August 17, 1915, Leo Frank was hung from an oak tree in Marietta after having been dragged from a Georgia jail. Most believe now that Frank was not guilty of murdering Mary Phagan, a 13-year-old killed where Frank worked, on April 26, 1913. Subsequent Georgia governors have commuted, even pardoned Frank. But Cobb County decided more needed to be done. In 2008, a marker was placed to document the awful events of that August. And in 2018, a new marker was placed in a new spot in Cobb County. The Atlanta Anti-Defamation League stated “It was also announced that the site has been approved for the first-ever National Anti-Lynching Memorial in the country. This memorial footstone will be dedicated next August on the anniversary of the Frank lynching.” Should lynching memorials be made? It’s a controversial topic in this country, especially in the South where most of these events took place. Opponents claim that placing such signs would be honoring murders, and could stir up trouble, bringing up the past. Supporters say that the truth about such awful events need to be retold, so they are never repeated again.
Read More