Art Works by Ken Grossinger

Author:Ken Grossinger [Grossinger, Ken]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: The New Press

For the hanged and beaten.

For the shot, drowned, and burned.

For the tortured, tormented, and terrorized.

For those abandoned by the rule of law.

We will remember.

With hope because hopelessness is the enemy of justice.

With courage because peace requires bravery.

With persistence because justice is a constant struggle.

With faith because we shall overcome.

EJI-authored

Soil collection ceremonies have been a powerful means to reflect on the past. Hundreds of jars of soil from lynching sites across America are on display in the Legacy Museum and now in local communities. In Athens, Georgia, three hundred people gathered for a soil collection ceremony.

Other communities participate in historical marker initiatives to memorialize those lynched in the public square, sparking legal and policy changes to existing law. In Colorado, the Denver-based Remembrance Project partnered with elected officials and community organizations to remove language from the state constitution that made slavery illegal “except as punishment” for a crime. The Maryland Lynching Memorial Project worked with Republican governor Larry Hogan to sign HB 307 into law, which created a statewide Truth and Reconciliation Commission for the purposes of developing a public education project and to “consider reparatory efforts.”

EJI’s far-reaching program offers educators a lesson plan to teach students about this history and a racial justice essay contest to encourage students to think more deeply about it.

These museum-inspired initiatives have one primary aim in common with community organizations: they all move people into action. That’s the essence of organizing—people acting together in support of their values.

By highlighting the clear intersection between cultural landmarks and community organizing, EJI offers a model for museums to embed themselves more deeply in their communities. Their work also offers community organizers another glimpse of the role and impact of culture in building community and confronting oppression.

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