DeKalb commissioners approve historical markers to remember lynching victims

The DeKalb County Board of Commissioners unanimously approved the resolution sponsored by Commissioner Larry Johnson to erect two Equal Justice Initiative historical markers to contextualize lynchings in DeKalb County.

DeKalb County supports the Remembrance Project Initiative of DeKalb’s chapter of the NAACP, which seeks to recognize and memorialize incidents of racial terrorism perpetrated throughout the United States and in localities, including DeKalb County.

The Remembrance Project is informed by the work of the Equal Justice Initiative, headquartered in Montgomery, which recently opened its Memorial to Peace and Justice and Legacy Museum there.

The historical marker will be placed outside of the courthouse in the Decatur Square and in the downtown area in the city of Lithonia.

“This is progressive and forward thinking on behalf of the Board of Commissioners to acknowledge lynching in DeKalb County and to identify relatives of those who experienced this terrible act,” Johnson said.