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| Large iron slabs engraved with names of victims |
The National Memorial for Peace and Justice. I had read about a new memorial and museum that was built to recognize our dark history of lynching. A few years ago traveling through Montgomery Alabama, I had the opportunity to visit the memorial.
Many call this the “lynching memorial” but it is really The National Memorial for Peace and Justice. The National Memorial for Peace and Justice was conceived with the hope of creating a sober, meaningful site where people can gather and reflect on America’s history of racial inequality.
The six-acre site located in downtown Montgomery uses design and sculpture to recognize and memorialize victims of lynching. Large iron slabs, each representing a county where a lynching occurred, are hung from the ceiling of an open-air pavilion. Each slab identified by the county and state are engraved with the names and dates of victims of a lynching. Some victims have yet to be identified and are recognized only as unknown.
Many call this the “lynching memorial” but it is really The National Memorial for Peace and Justice. The National Memorial for Peace and Justice was conceived with the hope of creating a sober, meaningful site where people can gather and reflect on America’s history of racial inequality.
The six-acre site located in downtown Montgomery uses design and sculpture to recognize and memorialize victims of lynching. Large iron slabs, each representing a county where a lynching occurred, are hung from the ceiling of an open-air pavilion. Each slab identified by the county and state are engraved with the names and dates of victims of a lynching. Some victims have yet to be identified and are recognized only as unknown.
When you enter the memorial, you are asked to turn off your cell phones and to speak quietly. No selfies allowed. This is after all a memorial where we remember our dark past, and pay homage to those who died. This is a powerful and moving memorial to truth-telling and reflection about racial terror in America and its legacy.
The National Memorial for Peace and Justice (museum and memorial) was a project conceived by The Equal Justice Initiative (eji.org) founded in 1989 by Bryan Stevenson and located in Montgomery, Alabama. For additional information, please visit eji.org
You may also want to make a donation.