Montgomery: The National Memorial for Peace and Justice

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We visited the Monument at the Peace and Justice Memorial Center created by the Equal Justice Initiative. The experience brought about in us an increased awareness that lynching was and is as much a terrorist activity as any horror we are fighting in the so-called War on Terror today.

The names on the front of the Memorial Center include 24 women and men lynched or killed in racially motivated attacks during the 1950’s that sparked the protests and activism of the 1960’s. They include Samuel Shepard, Harry and Harriette Moore, and Emmett Till. In most cases, no person was prosecuted or convicted for the killing.

The approach to the Monument is a long walkway with sculptures of enslaved people.

The Monument
The Monument
Each column represents one county in the United States where racially motivated lynchings took place and lists the names of the victims, if known. At the beginning we walked among the columns.
Proceeding through the exhibit we walked down a long ramp
Until the columns were hanging over our heads.


There are more than 800 columns.



We were stunned at the number of documented lynchings and killings that occurred. We also wonder at how little has been told about this history. As with the holocaust and apartheid, bringing it to light is important to begin to prevent further wrongs against people of color.

After we exited the Memorial, we came upon the Hank Willis Thomas sculpture dedicated to the victims of American white supremacy.
The gardens at the Memorial are beautiful.
Yes, this is January 18, 2020.

Published by jafwoodbury

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7 thoughts on “Montgomery: The National Memorial for Peace and Justice”

    1. We are both Good Sam and KOA members. The Good Sam catalog is a good investment. We got it on Amazon. We also look at individual campsites and other ratings online. State and national parks are great, but usually fully booked ahead of time. What kind of camper did you get?

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