The City of Statesboro and the Statesboro-Bulloch Remembrance Coalition, along with the Equal Justice Initiative, held Bulloch Bears Witness, a historical marker dedication, in Statesboro City Hall on Thursday evening, January 11, 2024.
Dr. James Thomas opened the evening to a packed room on the second floor of Statesboro City Hall.
Ivana Casuso of the Statesboro Youth Council welcomed attendees.
"We are all here tonight because the Statesboro-Bulloch Remembrance Coalition believes that truth-telling is fundamental to reconciliation and healing," Casuso remarked. She went on to say that the marker not only honors the nine men who were lynched in Bulloch County from 1865 to 1950, but also the legacies of racial terror, both statewide and nationwide. She thanked the Statesboro-Bulloch Remembrance Coalition for their efforts at "building a more inclusive community."
Jamersyn Hughes, also from the Statesboro Youth Council, delivered the invocation to the crowd. He voiced the need for change that would unite the community, and gave thanks for Statesboro and those who lead our city. He closed by asking God to ". . . unite us even more today, that we love each other despite any difference and appreciate each other."
"A lot of times we always think about our youth as tomorrow, but our youth are right now," Dr. Thomas remarked as he introduced Adrianne McCollar and Dr. Chris Caplinger of the Statesboro-Bulloch Remembrance Coalition, which was founded in 2019 after many members attended a trip to The Legacy Museum in Montgomery, AL.
Adrianne McCollar was delighted at the turnout and said that the room was representative of the work that the Coalition has been doing for many years.
"For generations after the Civil War ended slavery, black Bulloch County citizens were the victims of racial terror, and tonight we'll unveil a marker that confronts our history of the legacy of slavery and racial injustice," McCollar stated.
Dr. Stacy Smallwood recited his own work, "Poem of Remembrance," which left many teary-eyed as he implored the nine lynching victims to "come home" and called each by name.
A moving musical tribute, "Something Inside So Strong," was provided by the Agape Worship Center as the cantor sang on behalf of the slain, "I know that I can make it, even after you treated me wrong."
Mayor Jonathan McCollar welcomed and thanked the crowd for attending this momentous occasion in Statesboro. "It is so refreshing to see a room packed like this for a cause like this," he said. He went on thank the Coalition and reflected on the need for unity and equality within Bulloch County and beyond. "Until America is America for all of us," McCollar noted, "America will never be America for any of us."
The gatherers were then invited to take a candle and proceed outside to the covered marker in anticipation of the unveiling and dedication. Deksyos Damtew of the Equal Justice Initiative said, "I hope that we can allow their memory to be one that allows us to grapple more deeply with our history of injustice in this country."
There was a moment of silence prior to the historical marker unveiling, followed by Azaria Joyce of the Statesboro Youth Council, who read the marker to onlookers.
To begin his benediction, Rev. Dr. Francys Johnson called for a round of applause for the City of Statesboro and expressed his gratitude to all who were instrumental in the bringing the plaque to fruition. He asked the crowd, "Which is more important: truth or justice," a question often asked by Johnson's friend and mentor, former Chief Justice Leah Ward Sears. Johnson reflected that we attain justice as we search for the truth.
"This work is not over, and I shudder to think that in a generation from now there will be another monument somewhere else marking the tragedy that we have witnessed even in our own time," Johnson mused. He ended with an impassioned plea for all citizens to get involved. ". . . all [truth] needs is a courageous witness who is willing to testify in word and deed that they understand."
A reception followed inside the City Hall lobby.
For more information about the Statesboro-Bulloch Remembrance Coalition, please visit https://www.bullocheji.org/. For more information about the Equal Justice Initiative, please visit https://eji.org/. For more information about The Legacy Museum, please visit https://legacysites.eji.org/about/museum/.
