Black Citizenship in the Age of Jim Crow

December 2019

The coalition supported a traveling exhibit on Black Citizenship in the Age of Jim Crow from the New-York Historical Society, with an additional panel that focused on the experience of Black citizenship specifically in Union County. Rose Hill Plantation State Historic Site initially brought the exhibit to their site and later moved the exhibit to the Union County Tourism Building. Public tours of the exhibit encouraged dialogue among the community, one of which was located at the Tourism office and engaged an interracial audience of about 50 people.

Just Mercy Drive-In Movie Screening

June 26th, 2020

Our first program, a pandemic friendly drive-in movie screening of Just Mercy, engaged the community in education about the national impact of white supremacy and provided a through line to our justice system inequities today.

Virtual Lecture Series

Starting August 2020

Our Virtual Lecture Series features prominent scholars on topics of racial violence and systemic injustice. We intend to have an installment for each of the victims with the structure of a presentation segment for scholars to share their research as well as an opportunity for community members to share what they might know about victims.

Our first installment in the Virtual Lecture Series, was with Kent State historian Dr. Elaine Frantz, author of Ku Klux: The Birth of the Klan During Reconstruction, who spoke about her research on the Union County Jail Raids in 1871. Dr. Hilary Green, an Associate Professor of History in the Department of Gender and Race Studies at the University of Alabama also spoke with our coalition.

The Virtual Lecture Series will continue throughout the fall and spring with various local and national experts.

Pathways: Retracing Their Steps, Recovering Their History

January 2021

Pathways: Retracing Their Steps, Recovering Their History is a virtual audio program focused on locations and sites significant to the Jail Raid Lynchings of January-February 1871. Join us on the 150th anniversary of the massacre and learn about this history through videos led by coalition members. Click here to view.

Twilight Vigil for 150th Anniversary of the Union Jail Raid Massacre

February 12, 2021

On February 12, 2021 the UCCRP conducted a Twilight Vigil to remember and recognize the 150th anniversary of the Jail Raid Massacre and the 12 Black men who were lynched on the nights of January 4 and February 12, 1871. We acknowledged the historical trauma of this event through sharing knowledge about the massacre and the individual Black men who were murdered. In a Say Their Names ceremony, we lit vigil candles in remembrance of each person who was lynched. It was a powerful ceremony held in the same spot that 150 years ago to the day the 12 Black men were held before their massacre.

JUNETEENTH 2021 Remembrance + Celebration

June 19, 2021

On the Juneteenth holiday of 2021 the UCCRP hosted a JUNETEENTH Remembrance + Celebration event. We remembered lynching victims and the history of racial violence in Union through the installation of 2 new historical markers and through a soil collection ceremony. This was followed by a Juneteenth celebration recognizing the now federal holiday and the resilience and resistance of the Black community in Union. See more about this event here.

Youth Essay and Art Contest

Spring 2021

Throughout the spring of 2021 leading up to JUNETEENTH we partnered with Union County School District and community donors to sponsor a youth essay and art contest. Students read the book Ghost Boys by Jewell Parker Rhodes and submitted their written or artistic reactions to prompts about the book’s topics of police and racial violence. During the JUNETEENTH event we presented the winners of the Youth Essay and Art Contest with their awards and prize money.

Site Visits

Ongoing

Members of the UCCRP local to Union County have completed tours of the historic L.W. Long Community Resource Center (Union Community Hospital), which houses the Soil Collection and the two EJI sponsored Historical Markers that remember and recognize the 19 lynching victims in Union County. From students to genealogists to investors, the UCCRP provides individuals an opportunity to learn about the men, their contributions, and the resilience of the Black community in the face of racial terrorism. See our gallery of visitors.

Preservation

January 1, 2023 to present

L.W. Long Community Resource Center (Union Community Hospital)

After the successful completion of the original mission and vision, the UCCRP asked what's next. While JUNETEENTH provided the vehicle for the UCCRP to continue the discussion, we knew there were other important often hidden stories to tell. So, we looked at how could we assist in restoring the space that houses the UCCRP Remembrance Room. Click here to learn more about the LWLCRC Rebranding & Rebuilding Initiative.