NAACP honors lynching victims in downtown Jackson
JACKSON, Tenn. — Community members gathered Tuesday in downtown Jackson to remember the victims of several lynchings from the late 1800s.
Participants in the ceremony collected soil from lynching sites and met at the Madison County Courthouse early Tuesday afternoon for a memorial service.
Organizers say the purpose of the ceremony is to expose horrific acts of violence and focus on healing and bringing people of all races together.
The NAACP says there are three documented lynchings in the 1800s in front of the downtown Jackson courthouse, saying they were murdered for the color of their skin.
Between 1877 and 1950, the group says there were 233 documented lynchings in Tennessee.
