All new at 4A historic
moment at the White House.
President Biden signing the
anti lynching bill into law,
making lynchings a federal hate crime,
joining me now to discuss the
significance of all this is
Charlotte historian J Michael Moore.
Thanks so much for being here with us.
First off, this is a long time coming.
The first anti lynching bill was
introduced by North Carolina
Representative George White back in 1900.
Congress has failed to pass anti lynching
legislation nearly 200 times since
and now we are here at this moment.
So what has taken so long
to get to this point?
Well, it's interesting that the
congressman White in 1900 was from North
Carolina and he was the only remaining
black member of Congress at that time.
So partly what happened was that the
Blacks lost their political representation.
There's there's a lot to do
with the history of Senate
filibusters and that sort of thing,
but I think the important thing is
that it's happened now and that.
That's although it's too long in coming.
It's a really good thing that it's happened.
There is a history we know
of race based violence here.
Well, not only just in America,
but in the Charlotte area,
one of the first lynchings in Mecklenburg
County is believed to have happened at
the site of Bank of America Stadium.
We know that now progress is being made,
street names are being changed,
and Uptown there is.
Still, though,
some resistance to that change.
So how do you think the
community can make amends with
their history and move forward?
Well, I think it is doing that and I
think there will always be resistance,
but I think there is a strong momentum to
do good now there's a couple of different
ways that things are moving ahead.
Since the opening of the museum
in Montgomery, AL that the Equal
Justice initiative started in 2018.
There's been a movement in Charlotte
in the creation of a group called the
Charlotte Mecklenburg Remembrance Project.
That is working on.
Telling the stories of Joe Mcneely.
And and Willie McDaniel,
the two men who we know were lynched
in Charlotte in the 20th century.
And then there's you know the
county Board of Supervisors has has
commissioned a study looking at the
impact of systemic racism of by by
the county commissioners in overtime.
And.
And there's there's a group called the
Coalition for Truth and Reconciliation
that's using that document that was
produced by the Public Library too.
To open conversations about the
history of systemic racism and
racial violence in Charlotte and its
legacy and what we can do about it.
So I,
I think there's there's a lot
of good momentum, too.
Look at these issues more
directly in the eye.
Send think about what it has
meant and what it still means for
people and how we need to change.
You mentioned the equal justice
initiative and according to
the Equal Justice initiative,
more than 4400 deaths in the United
States were by lynching from
reconstruction to World War Two and
impacting not just that one generation,
but generation after generation of African
American families in any small way.
Does this feel like a moment of
justice for those generations
impacted by this violence?
Well, I think it can be a source.
Of justice for victims of racial violence.
Come forward in circumstances where.
They can't find justice at the local level.
I think that. A lot more needs to be
done before we can feel good. About
about responding appropriately
to this history of systemic
racism and white supremacy,
and not in America and Charlie.
I mean, I couldn't agree
with you more a lot of times,
people celebrate these kinds of
bills as progress and listen.
I'm all about positive thinking and
seeing the bright side of things,
but at some point I feel like we
need to examine and recognize why
a bill like this is even needed.
The fact that a bill like this
is needed says something.
You know, all I'm saying is
celebrating progress is one thing,
but perhaps reflecting on our past
to help us move forward is the
most important part of all this.
Yes, and that's why it's so important
that these efforts at at Community
dialogue are moving forward in Charlotte,
the Equal justice initiative when they
created the the memorial in Montgomery,
actually duplicated the memorials
for each county so that they can be
brought and located at the site of
the the lynchings that are being being
memorialized and so it's it's hopeful.
And not too far down the road we will have
a permanent memorial in Charlotte to Joe,
Joe Mcneely and Willie McDaniel. Tim.
To honor them and to to make this.
Something that's not just a one one
time thing, but that's something
that is an ongoing conversation.
Reflection that we have in our public life.
Bears if people want to know more
about these two lynchings in Charlotte,
there's an exhibition at the being Museum
of the New South called it happened here.
Which looks at more detail of those two
lynchings and and the context of white
supremacy in Charlotte at the time.
And I highly recommend that.
J Michael Moore, thanks so much for
your insights and certainly helpful.
Thank you, thank you for talking to me.