Alachua County produces video of Soil Collection Jar Exhibit Honoring Victims of Lynching
Press release from Alachua County
ALACHUA COUNTY, Fla. – The Alachua County Community Remembrance Project committee (ACCRP), the Alachua County Commission, and the UF Center for the Humanities and the Public Sphere, with support from the Rothman Fund, recently unveiled the “Soil Collection Jar Exhibit Honoring Victims of Lynching.”
Watch a video of the Soil Collection Jar Exhibit Unveiling.
The County Commission has dedicated space on the ground floor of the County Administration Building (12 SE 1st St., Gainesville) for this poignant exhibit on racial violence. Each jar contains soil collected at known sites where lynching took place.
“This is about telling the story of what happened to African Americans, and telling that story is a part of American history,” said County Commissioner Charles “Chuck” Chestnut IV. “It’s about knowing the true history so that we can move forward and grow stronger as a community.”
This exhibit is part of the ongoing effort to confront and understand the history of racial violence in Florida, a state with the highest rate of lynchings per capita between 1882 and 1930. The Soil Collection Jar Exhibit highlights this painful history and addresses the legacy of racial inequity that persists today.
Read the “Alachua County’s Journey to Truth and Reconciliation” feature story.
Are they going to list the crimes they committed alongside the jar? Also the (((Rothman))) fund lol
Wtf
Creepy as hell!…these people are insane.
Imagine how dumb you gotta be to buy in to their shenanigans
Until this culture can move beyond their desire to remain victims and be dependent on the government they will never amount to much.
You guys are absolutely pathetic and small minded. Don’t want to even acknowledge the past. Should bury all of you losers in the leftover soil
Grow up and get beyond yourself! That’s like me braying about: “where’s the acknowledgements for the millions of Protestant inquisition deaths”…horrible things happen to people of all stripes. Indigenous, Asians, Muslims, Jews, blacks, and yes even whites have all been raked over the coals by the powers that be. Wait till you learn of all of the white (mainly Irish) ‘slaves’ that worked right beside your black ancestors in the southern field’s. The POS’s in local government are intentionally stirring race relations for political gains.
And to think of what my Viking ancestors did to some of my English and Welsh ancestors. I mean beheading the men, raping the women, bringing children back to Norway as slaves.
Alachua County did honor the past with the “Old Joe” statue…Wait a minute, wasn’t he torn down because certian people didn’t want to acknowledge the past?
Pulled down Ole Joe and replaced it with a 100,000 chicken.
“Old Joe” celebrated those who fought to keep fellow Alachua Countians enslaved. It didn’t belong in our County Square when the progeny of those enslaved – and full citizens like you and I – passed by it for over 100 years. Good riddance and WTH were we thinking for those 100 years?
Then would would pay the bills
>>The Soil Collection Jar Exhibit highlights this painful history and addresses the legacy of racial inequity that persists today.
It highlights what I would call “foolishness inequity” today.
I’m sure all the victims would be thrilled to know they are being represented by dirt. Way to dehumanize the people who suffered.
Are there markers in these locations. Markers with names, dates on placards would be more dignified than jars of dirt. Just saying.
Nothing says “Welcome to Alachua County” like jars of lynch dirt.
Well constructed cabinet. Akira wood did an excellent job however to hold jars of dirt is somewhat gross and misleading. A picture of the site or locations versus dirt.
How about a brief of the person’s who were lynched and the legacy of their families.
How about the Black on Black murders taking place now. Every time a murder is committed go and gather some dirt. All this shaming is dividing people. Where is the dirt from all the people that died in the Civil War? Freeing slaves.
Not enough dirt
The Union dead are celebrated in small town after small town all over the northern half of the US, but never here. A group sought such recognition at the Olustee battle field near Lake City, which is still a virtual monument to the Confederacy, and was turned down about a decade ago.
Will the next display portray and pay tribute to the black communities that have been decimated by drugs and B on B crimes? If they’re going to throw blame, they may as well hit all the spots, not just the ones they feel further their agenda.
Expected comments from the regularly racist regular commenters here, and no your not guilty of lynching anyone or enslaving them though you might be guilty of always connecting the race of others to failures but not achievements.
It should be somewhat upsetting – so is the 911 memorial in NYC. This didn’t happen in Europe, it happened here in our city and county and some of the events occurred just outside of the life span of our oldest residents. Nothing worse happened here to anyone or any group unless you count the centuries of slavery when women and children were sold away from their families, or the 100 years of legal segregation and racism that followed that. Of course we should recognize and remember that no matter our race or when we got here. For blacks born and raised here from old families? Hell yes! The graves of most of those lynched in Newberry in 1916 are in the small cemetery of the small still active country black church a couple of miles from Jonesville. You think they should or could forget? Does it hurt us to remember too?
My grandfather used to point to the field on our trips so I’m well aware of the history. Also aware that it’s those who scream racism who have at sometime in their own history, something that invokes some guilt towards acts committed against another. As far as your 2nd insinuation, you’re wrong. I connect the failures of people to their individual lack of trying than to their color but thanks for the feeble attempt.
It may upset many people but probably not in the way it was intended. I’ve spoken to others about their thoughts and although they recognized the horrific acts that were made back then, they didn’t think it was appropriate to cast blame at those living today. The county doing that is no better than whites blaming blacks for all of the drugs and crime in America.
As you noted, I wasn’t there, didn’t own anybody, and never was in a position to pay substandard wages for their labor. I don’t appreciate being blamed of any continued systemic racism that may exist here or any other part of the country. I’ve seen the display and although it invokes empathy, it also insinuates blame to every white person who’s lived in Alachua County. The posters imply it’s a predominant culture still and I disagree. I think we’re better than we were.
A memorial to those lynched here in the past does not include a claim, or imply, that you and other current white residents of Alachua County are to blame or that nothing has improved. If anyone states that, they are wrong but even that would not invalidate the legitimacy of remembering a massive injustice in our not so distant past visited on ancestors of current citizens.
In case you haven’t visited…
“White mobs lynched Black people for voting, to take take their property, or simply to instill terror and intimidation. Racial terror lynchings were not the actions of a few extremists. Rather, they were bold, public acts that implicated the entire white community. After lynchings took place, these acts of terrorism…”
“The average income for Black people in our county is half that of white people. Black people make up 70% of those incarcerated in Alachua County jails, despite being only 20% of our total population. As the first step towards recovery and reconciliation, we publicly confront this shameful history by acknowledging it.”
The word “white” appears to have been intentionally formated with a lower case “w” whereas the “B” was as you see it, capitalized throughout the memorial. Oversight or intentional?
I wonder if that’s the same reasons organizations use for not constructing businesses, ie…grocery stores, on the East side of Gainesville, or why the population is growing West and not East?
I’m not invalidating the legitimacy, I’m saying it appears the County has taken the opportunity to throw their need for acknowledgement from one segment of the population to appease another. Don’t forget, the prior display that was removed contained the documents that were intended for all Americans, not just Black and White.
Let’s also not forget the atrocities committed against Native Americans. I don’t see or remember hearing of many Micanopy residents offering to give their homesteads back. Sure heard from them when a proposed Dollar General was going to be constructed though.
Generosity only goes so far I guess.
Statements of fact – no one was ever prosecuted for these lynching’s and slavery and the 100 years of Jim Crow were not the actions of some radical extremists, but state sanctioned by popular elected leaders – are part of what should be remembered and are no doubt a contributor to the economic imbalances of the present. Legal segregation ended only 60 years ago and passed on generational wealth with increased opportunity does not happen overnight.
You may have a point about Indians but it is not a reason to rescind this remembrance.
And what Commissioners contributed to the continued “economic imbalances” by not allowing the proposed Plum Creek development?
Addition to the last sentence.
I also think we’re better than they want us to believe.
This thread dominated with racial resentment and refusal to consider the past as if you were on trial for it, does not demonstrate that.
Not refusing anything. Let’s just hope my future ancestors aren’t found guilty by my not participating the way some are being tried today. After all, I wasn’t involved in the horrific acts committed in times past and I definitely didn’t vote for anyone who condoned such acts.
No one involved in this memorial or on this board has said you were guilty of these acts. Why you think otherwise and have a hostile reaction based on that is your creation and somehow leads you to denigrate the legitimate motives of those who seek to remember our fairly recent and local history. Some may have relatives among the victims. Your hostility to this probably reflects your racism. If not, what else is it.
Well this is just bizarre….