On January 15, the Gwinnett Remembrance Coalition, in partnership with EJI, unveiled a historical marker commemorating Charles Hale, a black man who was lynched by a white mob on April 8, 1911 in downtown Lawrenceville, Georgia. The coalition held a virtual ceremony with recorded statements from coalition members, city and county officials, and students.
Rev. Inger Williams, niece of Charles Hale, spoke on behalf of the family about her Uncle Charlie and the legacy that lives on through his descendants. A local pastor shared a consignment and Ms. Williams scattered soil collected from the site of her ancestor’s lynching at the base of the historical marker.
The Coalition worked with the City of Lawrenceville to create a memorial for the installation of the historical marker. The site includes benches for visitors to sit and reflect while reading the marker. The site is intended to serve as a place of remembrance and education for future generations.
At the conclusion of the ceremony, the student winners of the Gwinnett County Racial Justice Essay Contest were announced. Makayla Thompson and Jacob Bell took first place and read their essays as part of the program.
The Lynching of Charles Hale
On April 8, 1911, just after midnight, a mob of at least 200 white men lynched a black man named Charles Hale in downtown Lawrenceville. The mob broke into the Lawrenceville jail and kidnapped Mr. Hale from his cell, unopposed by the armed police officers responsible for his protection. The mob dragged Mr. Hale to a telephone pole near the Gwinnett County Courthouse, hung him, and then shot his body repeatedly.
Police took no action and had his body hung until the next day, when white families, including children, posed for photos with Mr. Hale’s mutilated body. The photos show a sign hanging from Mr. Hale that reads “Please do not wake him.”
According to media reports, a white farmer reported on April 7 that his wife had been attacked. The sheriff formed a group of white men to hunt down the alleged attacker. They encountered Mr. Hale in the nearby forest and captured him.
The mob lynched Mr. Hale before he had a chance to defend himself against the allegation. County officials eventually had Mr. Hale’s body removed and buried in a poor cemetery, but did not conduct a forensic examination or identify mob participants.
None of the mob participants or the county officials who did not intervene were held accountable for the lynching of Charles Hale.
Gwinnett Remembrance Coalition
The Gwinnett Remembrance Coalition was formed in Fall 2020. On June 16, 2021, the Coalition held a soil gathering ceremony in memory of Charles Hale, which was attended by many community members.
The Gwinnett Remembrance Coalition recognizes, remembers, and educates the community about the district’s violent and racist past. The project honors the memory of Gwinnett’s victims of racial violence – those whose names are known and those whose names have been lost to history – by working with EJI to create a fitting memorial that inspires the community to to come together and encourage conversations about historical and current injustices, and facilitates dialogue, trust and healing.
