A gentleman by the name of James Cameron passed away recently, and I am willing to bet that most African Americans have no idea who he was. Mr. Cameron was over ninety years old when he died, and he was the founder of the "Black Holocaust Museum in Milwaukee. But that's not why I am talking about him in this post. You see, Mr. Cameron was one of the very few people to survive a lynching. That now infamous picture of his two friends hanging from a tree in Marion Indiana should have included him. But someone among the mob of barbarians shouted to let him go, and miraculously, they did just that. Thankfully, he lived to tell his story over and over again. And it's people like Mr. Cameron, -through his accounts, and his work to create the museum- that has always helped to remind us of what a horrible country this used to be, and what a horrible country it can become, if we are not vigilant. The following are just reminders of some of those negroes who were not as fortunate as Mr. Cameron:
SAM HOSE-Lynched, 4/23/1899, Newman, GA.
Mr. Hose killed his employer over wages. He was hanged, burned, and skinned; his genitals mutilated by a lynch mob. Some of his body parts
were taken by onlookers.
WILLIAM BROWN-Lynched, 09/1919, Omaha, NE.
Mr. Brown was dragged from the Douglas County jail
by a lynch mob. He was shot, hanged, his body dragged through the streets,
and burned. Pieces of the rope that was used to lynch him were
sold as souvenirs for 10 cents a piece.
THOMAS SHIPP & ABRAHAM SMITH-Lynched, 08/07/1930, Marion, IN.
These were Mr. Cameron's companions on that faithful night.
They were accused of killing a white man and raping a white
woman.Of course they never received a trial, and none of the alleged perpetrators were prosecuted.
RUBIN STACY-Lynched, 07/19/1935, Fort Lauradale, FL.
Taken by a white mob from deputies near Miami.
This homeless tenant farmer's crime was scaring a white woman
in her home when he went to knock on her door. Out of work and hungry, he was simply trying to get something to eat.
LINT SHAW-Lynched, 1936, Royston, GA.
MICHAEL DONALD-Lynched, 03/21/1981, Mobile, AL.
He was lynched by three white men who went looking for a black man to kill-any
black man- after anotherblack man was acquitted by a predominantly black jury of killing a white police officer.
"I do forgive you. From the day I found out who you all was, I asked God to take care of you all, and he has"
~Marge Donald~(Mother of Michael Donald) to her son's killers.
Good for you Ms. Donald, I am glad you have the capacity to forgive and call on your God for strength. The field-negro, on the other hand, is not so forgiving, and not so willing to forget.
That's where the anger comes from, and that's what drives me to keep reminding
my fellow Americans -especially black folks- what unchecked power is capable of doing to people.
Those were just a few of the thousands of my people lynched at the hands of white mobs.
No trials, no due process, no dignity in their death. -I am sure family pets had better burials back then. Just remember when the flag wavers tell you how great of a country this is, and how lucky you are to be living in the "greatest country on God's green earth". When blinded by hatred, what some of these God fearing people did to their fellow human beings, and how many of their fellow citizens turned away.
Thanks Mr. Cameron!
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