02/02/2022

Now, We Know Their Names

Between 1865 to 1950, nearly 6,500 Black Americans were lynched in the U.S.

Under a large white tent on a warm Sunday in early autumn, a group of residents in Montgomery County, Maryland, gathered at Welsh Park in the town of Rockville. A crescendo of gospel hymns hung above the crowd before falling gently over us like a warm bedsheet. A small group of children squealed from a playground in the distance. We were there to remember the lives of two Black men who had been lynched in the county more than a century ago. This is the county where I live. Before this event I did not know these men’s names, but now I do.

Estimates vary widely, but according to the Equal Justice Initiative, from 1865 to 1950 nearly 6,500 Black Americans were lynched in the United States. Two of those men were Sidney Randolph and John Diggs-Dorsey.

Two local students shared the stories of Randolph's and Diggs-Dorsey's murders. The audience listened attentively.

Please select this link to read the complete article from The Atlantic.