Ceremony of Remembrance - Downtown Anderson - October 3rd at 11am
Anderson Area Remembrance and Reconciliation Initiative (AAR&RI) invites the community to a special event on October 3, 2023 at 11:00 am. We will unveil a marker memorializing the five victims of racial terror lynching in Anderson County. The marker will be placed on South Main Street between John Street and River Street. This event is the first public event in Anderson County to memorialize each victim, recognizing the injustices done to these men between 1894 - 1911.
This marker is provided in partnership with the Equal Justice Initiative in Montgomery, Alabama and will name each of the five victims:
Edward Sullivan (1894)
Elbert Harris (1898)
John Addison (1901)
Reuben Elrod (1903)
Willis Jackson (1911)
The goal of this event is to bring together the people of Anderson County in order to both remember the past and to move toward reconciliation as we seek to build the Beloved Community in our midst. Join us as we honor the memory of these individuals and remember that injustice done to one is an injustice to all. We will also pledge our best efforts to affirm the dignity and contributions of all who live among us.
Groups who have formally endorsed these efforts of AAR&RI:
Anderson City Council
'Anderson County Council
AnMed Board of Trustees
Anderson University Board of Trust
Event Details:
Tuesday, October 3rd - 11am
Main Street, Downtown Anderson (Between John Street & River Street)
About AAR&RI
Anderson Area Remembrance and Reconciliation Initiative (AAR&RI) is a movement of concerned individuals in Anderson County with two primary purposes. One is to honor the memory of five documented victims of racial lynching in Anderson County in the period between 1894 and 1911 by participating in the Community Remembrance Project of the Equal Justice Initiative. The other is through dialogue, education, and fellowship to move our community toward reconciliation and elimination of racial disparities and the realization of “Beloved Community” as described by The Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King.
For more information, contact Dr. Stuart Sprague by clicking here.
