Commentary: Learning of Delaware lynching sets a path for social justice
Before spring 2018, I had little interest in the fight for racial justice or the inclusion of diversity work in institutions. My biggest concerns were getting to my gymnastics practices on time and figuring out what I could do to be more like my White peers.
That all changed after I visited historic Montgomery, Alabama, and was introduced to the work of the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI). My life was changed by the knowledge and beauty I was exposed to during the opening of the Legacy Museum and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice. I had never seen the reality and weight of racism in America displayed in such a linear way before. It put the truth of this nation into perspective and filled me with a fire that has not gone away.
It was at the Legacy Museum that I learned of the case of George White, the only officially documented lynching in Delaware. I felt so disappointed and angry that I had lived my 15 years without knowing George White’s story. I was determined to spread awareness about the importance of learning about the racial terrorism that took place in the state of Delaware.
Too often we are, as a society, willing to sweep these narratives of what Delaware was really like for Black people under the rug for our own peace of mind. We cannot stand for it. For a man to be suspected of a crime and lynched for it without a second thought about his humanity and any good he brought to his community is an abomination and a sign that we live in much too cruel of a world to ignore injustice.
The trauma that comes from watching your neighbors, brothers and fathers be lynched and then have their names forgotten in a mere hundred years does not go away when the person who directly experiences that trauma passes away. No. That trauma gets passed down from generation to generation and attaches itself to so many different aspects of everyday life as we know it.
Without the tools and the knowledge to realize that what happened before us is directly connected to what is happening around us, this trauma will never go away. This is very clear when we compare events that are taking place now in the year 2021 to events that occurred in America during slavery and Reconstruction.
How are people supposed to heal and grow if they are never taught where the pain that is causing this discomfort came from? This is exactly why stories, like that of George White, should never be forgotten. We all need to take the time to remember his name and remember what happened to him because if we don’t look back, before we know it, the same thing could happen in our future.
I formed the Delaware Social Justice Remembrance Coalition (DSJRC) to ensure that proper community education and remembrance of racial terrors in the state of Delaware continue to take place. Speaking at schools, organizations and conferences is one of the most fulfilling aspects of the work I have embarked on over the last three years. I am excited for the work and growth that is to come for DSJRC and the state of Delaware as a whole, but it is imperative to remember that it is a constant battle and we have tons of work to do to win true freedom.
As we continue to move forward in our fight for racial reconciliation, the coalition is embarking on projects that encourage community members to get involved. The first of these efforts is a partnership with the Delaware Historical Society and University of Delaware on the “Unequal Justice in Delaware — Rewriting the Narrative” project to unearth the forgotten and unknown instances of unequal justice in the First State. The coalition is also working with Dr. Yohuru Williams on research on the lynchings of William “Obie” Evans and Jacob Hamilton, with the goal of having these two lynchings formally recognized by the Equal Justice Initiative. Another partnership with EJI is an upcoming essay contest open to all Delaware public high school students.
It is important to emphasize that this work cannot be done without community involvement and individuals wanting to be agents of change, so we encourage everyone to get involved in these local revolutionary efforts.
Savannah Shepherd is the founder of the Delaware Social Justice Remembrance Coalition and is a first-year student at Swarthmore College.
