MONTGOMERY, Ala. (AP) — The nation’s first memorial to victims of lynching has drawn more than 100,000 visitors in its first three months — far exceeding some earlier estimates.
The National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery shares stories about some of the 4,400 black people slain in lynchings and other racial killings between 1877 and 1950. The names of those killed, if they are known, are engraved on 800 steel columns, one for each U.S. county where lynchings occurred.
The Montgomery Advertiser reports that some visitors have been part of large groups. About 100 community leaders from Charlottesville, Virginia, visited in July. Whites and blacks clashed during street fighting and a woman was killed by a car driven into a crowd during the “Unite the Right” rally in Charlottesville last summer.
Part of a statue depicting chained people is on display at the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, a new memorial to honor thousands of people killed in racist lynchings, Sunday, April 22, 2018, in Montgomery, Ala. The national memorial aims to teach about America’s past in hope of promoting understanding and healing. It’s scheduled to open on Thursday. (AP Photo/Brynn Anderson)
