Ell Persons’ lynching made national headlines in 1917 and even spurred a 10,000-strong silent march in New York. Yet, his story has rarely been told. Little is known about his life.
We walk you through what was going on in Memphis at the time that set the stage for his lynching, law enforcement's tolerance of mob violence, and the Black resistance that followed.
Resources mentioned in this episode:
- Lethal Punishment by Margaret Vandiver
- An Unseen Light: Black Struggles for Freedom in Memphis, Tennessee Edited by Aram Goudsouzian and Charles W. McKinney Jr.
- The Burning of Ell Person at Memphis by James Weldon Johnson of NAACP
- Background of "The Brute Caricature" by Ferris State University
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