Page 5 - Florida Sentinel 8-26-22

Feature
Robert Johnson Lynching Marker Memorial Dedication Set For Monday
BY GWEN HAYES Sentinel Editor
Marker Recognizing Jim Crow Era Lynching Victims to be Erected
The Tampa-Hillsborough Community Remembrance Project will unveil a historical lynching marker at a cere- mony on Monday, August 29, 2022 at 10 a. m. along the Riverwalk at Doyle Carlton Drive and W. Laurel Street, Tampa, FL 33602. State Rep- resentative Fentrice Driskell, Tampa Councilman Luis Viera and members of the Remembrance Project will join local leaders to unveil the marker in remembrance of Jim Crow era lynching victim, Robert Johnson.
Mr. Johnson was a 40- year-old Black man who was wrongfully arrested and killed in Hillsborough County on January 28, 1934. The marker, established in conjunction with the Equal Justice Initia- tive, will be the first of its kind in Tampa.
The Equal Justice Initia- tive (EJI) Community Re- membrance Project partners with community coalitions to memorialize documented vic- tims of racial violence throughout history and foster meaningful dialogue about race and justice today.
The Historical Marker Project erects narrative mark- ers in public locations describ- ing the devastating violence, today widely unknown, that once took place in these com- munities.
Participating in the cere- mony will be: State Represen-
tative Fentrice Driskell, Tampa Councilman Luis Viera, Rev. Justin LaRosa, The Portico; Rev. Dr. Glenn B. Dames, Jr., Allen Temple AME Church; Fred Hearns, Tampa Bay History Center; Tammy Briant Spratling, Community Tampa Bay; and Robert Blount, Abe Brown Ministries.
Tampa Council- man Luis Viera said: "Iamso proud that the hard work of our coalition,
including State Rep. Fen- trice Driskell and many oth- ers, is resulting in the erection of this Equal Justice Initiative Memorial Marker. It is so piv- otal that we acknowledge all of our history - especially our acute, painful and often brutal Jim Crow-era history that too many of us are not aware of. Robert Johnson was one of many forgotten victims we re- member. It is incumbent on all of us, as good Americans, to repair this breach, build bridges and make these wrongs right in our own time today."
State Represen- tative Fen- trice Driskell (District 63) stated: “Congratu- lations to
the entire Tampa EJI Coali- tion on the successful comple- tion of our collective efforts to bring a lynching memorial
marker to our community. I’m so honored to have had the op- portunity to have been on this journey with you. This marker holds a dear place in my heart, but is also a strong reminder that not too long ago, Tampa held a dark history. Only 88 years ago, a time when our parents and grandparents lived, a 40-year-old Black man named Robert Johnson was kidnapped and lynched, in Tampa, alongside the Hills- borough River near Sligh Av- enue.
“As I visited this location last year to collect soil for the marker, my heart was heavy. When I looked at the trees around me, I couldn’t shake the image of not only Robert Johnson, but countless Black men who faced the same bru- tality.
“Placing this marker on the Riverwalk will give Robert Johnson’s story and so many like his, the visibility they de- serve. We cannot let ourselves and our youth forget these sto- ries. We cannot learn from our history and heal from it if we continue to run from it.
“Following a legislative session where the expressed goal seemed to be to suppress minority voices, especially communities of color, I am grateful to this coalition for making this project possible. I cannot thank EJI enough for affording us the opportunity to better educate our community on Tampa’s history. I also want to sincerely thank Coun- cilman Viera, Robert, Mr. Hearns, Tammy, and Brannon, for working so hard to bring this to life for our community. Thank you!”
Fred Hearns, Curator of Black His- tory, Tampa Bay History Center,
said, "It is never too late to do the right thing. We thank Councilman Viera, the Equal Justice Initiative and the local committee for pursu- ing the truth. The dedication of this marker is an important step toward this community acknowledging the truth about the horrible documented crimes that have been com- mitted against Black people."
Robert Blount, Presi- dent/CEO of Abe Brown Ministries said: “I be- lieve that
this is the beginning of a local effort to connect history with a contemporary movement.
“Understanding how today's criminal justice crisis is rooted in our country's his- tory requires truthfully facing history and the legacy of racial injustice in the United States. It is impossible to understand the work of criminal justice re- form without acknowledging the lives of men, women, and children that fell victim to racial terror lynching. This in- cludes the lives of Robert Johnson, Mr. Galloway, John Crooms, and Lewis Jackson here in Hillsborough County.
“The late great Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
once said: “Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night al- ready devoid of stars. Dark- ness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that.”
“As people of faith, I be- lieve we have an obligation and responsibility to demon- strate that love conquers all, even in the racial and criminal justice space! Bryan Steven- son, Founder of the Equal Justice Initiative, has often said, ‘Each of us is more than the worst thing we've ever done.’ Together we can help rewrite the narrative of our country's legacy.”
Rev. Dr.
Glenn
Dames:
“The plac-
ing of the
maker is a
solemn oc-
casion of
mixed emo-
tions. The plaque is a perma- nent reminder of a painful history. It’s a step in the right direction because the entire goal is healing. I believe we cannot fully heal the deep wounds inflicted during the era of racial terrorism until we tell the truth about it. Those killings and other racial vio- lence left marks on genera- tions. The marker represents a way to acknowledge the racial history we have here in our country and even here in our city. This is one way for us to open up about it.”
For more information, contact: Brannon Lazo, Aide to Tampa Councilman Luis Viera, 813-557-3066 or Brannon.JordanLazo@tam pagov.net.
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