2009 Recipient of the Nonprofit
Mission Award for Anti-racism initiative
Clayton
Jackson McGhie Memorial
On
June 15, 1920, three African American laborers from
a traveling circus, Elias Clayton, Elmer Jackson
and Isaac McGhie, were hanged by a mob of thousands
after being falsely accused of raping a white woman
in Duluth, Minnesota. For nearly 80 years these
men were forgotten, until a group of citizens decided
to restore them to collective consciousness so that
the community of Duluth might recognize its complicity
in these murders and begin the process of healing
and reconciliation. Their first task was to build
the Clayton Jackson McGhie Memorial, which was unveiled
in 2003 at the site of the tragedy and is the only
American monument of its scale dedicated to victims
of lynching.
This building committee
then formed a nonprofit organization, Clayton Jackson
McGhie Memorial, Inc. (CJMM, Inc.), to continue
to “bring the truth to light” by raising
awareness of racism as a historic, institutional
and systemic phenomenon and to build bridges and
restore community in the Twin Ports area. CJMM Inc.
uses a number of means, including public presentations,
media statements and self-produced informational
DVDs, to educate the community on systemic racism
and white privilege. The organization also holds
an annual Day of Remembrance at the Memorial and
awards a $1,000 scholarship to an area student who
is committed to its mission.
CJMM, Inc. seeks to
foster racial justice via education, reconciliation
and healing, and developing partnerships. It has
three main bases of influence in Minnesota. First,
the Memorial is a literal symbol of atonement and
reconciliation. Every year, people gather on the
Day of Remembrance to consider the lessons taught
by the memorial and consider what a fairer society
would look like. Second, CJMM, Inc. strives to be
a credible voice on diversity, tolerance and dismantling
racism and to open conversations on these issues.
Board members of CJMM, Inc. lead trainings and discussions
initiated by their DVDs and the history of the lynching.
They also advocate anti-racist positions on current
local issues such as the sale of tax-forfeited county
land within tribal reservation boundaries back to
the tribes. Third, CJMM, Inc. is committed to supporting
youth as they seek higher education and an understanding
of how racism has affected their own lives.
In 2008, Warren Read,
direct descendent of a lynch mob organizer, attended
the Day of Remembrance with Elmer Jackson’s
cousin, Virginia Huston. As a result of CJMM, Inc.'s
work, new partnerships and paths to reconciliation
have been opened, making a healthier community.
