The Columbus Black History Preservation and Study Group Erects Righteous Memorial in West Porterdale Cemetery

by Johnnie Warner, Contributor

The Hammurabi Black History Institute

On the morning of June 1, 1896, the brutal lynchings of two souls, Jesse Slayton and Will Miles, both young Black men, took place in Columbus, GA.

Easier forgotten than acknowledged and memorialized, the Columbus (GA) Ledger-Enquirer reported in June of 2021 that a coalition of the Mayor’s Diversity Team, the Columbus Historic Foundation, Sherrika Day, and myself were working with the Montgomery, Alabama’s Equal Justice Initiative Remembrance Team (EJI) to erect a historical marker about the local lynchings.

EDITORIAL NOTE

WRBL: 126 Years Since Double Lynching in Columbus, June 5 2022 (It has now been 129 years and counting...)

Facing South: Lynching on Wynn's Hill by Bill Winn, November, 1987 (The Ledger-Enquirer's Alva Johnson reported in August of 2014 that John Land, a descendant of the Land family who were the known murderers of "Teasy" McElhaney came forward to acknowledge and atone for the sins of his forefathers.)

I was waiting to be contacted by the coalition, but it was not forthcoming.

In 2024, the Columbus, Georgia Black History Preservation and Study Group reached out to the EJI Remembrance team to check on the status and they reported a 'pause' by the city. The Mayor’s Diversity team has not contacted EJI for further disposition. 

Never was it better said than to say "If you want something done, you  have to do it yourself."

Many leaders of the city of Columbus, Georgia are aware of the significance of the lynchings, but do not want to associate with them because of the possibility of "losing social status and wealth".

The Columbus, Georgia Black History Preservation and Study Group has erected a memorial monument in West Porterdale Cemetery in remembrance of those who were lynched and their bodies improperly disposed into unknown paupers' graves there.

EDITORIAL NOTE: West Porterdale Cemetery, also known as 'The Colored Cemetery', is a historically significant African-American cemetery in Columbus. It is located on 10th Avenue and Victory Drive and contains burials dating back to the 1840s. The cemetery is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as of 1980.

Broad Street, the Place of the Merciless Lynchings of Miles and Slayton

Psalm 143:5 (ESVB) - A Psalm of David

"I remember the days of old; I meditate on all that you have done; I ponder the work of your hands." 
In contrast to the despair, this verse shows the ever-resilient Psalmist, notably our ancestor King David, turning to God's past actions for comfort and encouragement. By remembering God's past works and reflecting on His power, the Psalmist and King of Israel seeks to find strength and hope for the future.

#NEVERFORGET#

-30-

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