2019-178 Lynching MemorialDate: October 4, 2019 Report No. 2019-178
INFORMAL STAFF REPORT TO MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
SUBJECT: Provide information on Denton County Community Remembrance Project and Lynching
Memorial EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: During the September 10 Pending Council Requests work session, the City Council directed staff
to provide information on a group working on a potential Denton County Lynching Memorial and
the project status. BACKGROUND: A local grassroots group, called the Denton County Community Remembrance Project, is working
in conjunction with Equal Justice Initiative’s National Memorial for Peace and Justice to honor
unknown lynching victims in Denton County. The National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Alabama, features 800 permanently hanging weathered steel columns memorializing the more than 4,000 known African-American victims of racial terror. Behind the memorial, each column has a replica that can be claimed by the counties throughout the United
States in recognition of the lynching that occurred in that county.
The Denton County Community Remembrance Project is planning an event to be held in December 2019 to memorialize two victims of lynching in Denton County. A key part of the ceremony will be gathering soil from Pilot’s Point, the lynching site, to contribute to the collection of soil housed at the National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery. The group hopes on partnering with DISD to hold an essay contest. The group also plans to install a historical marker
near the Pilot’s Point lynching site. While the partnership isn’t finalized, the group would also like to eventually place a column from the Montgomery, Alabama memorial somewhere in Denton County to further honor the lynching victims. A location will be selected at a later date.
The group will continue to meet throughout the fall to finalize the plans for both the December
2019 event and the potential placing of a memorial. Staff will work with Denton County to monitor
the group’s process and will keep Council updated on the status of a potential memorial.
STAFF CONTACT: Erin Winn
Assistant to the City Manager
(940) 349-8115 Erin.winn@cityofdenton.com REQUESTOR:
Council consensus during the September 10 Pending Council Requests work session
PARTICIPATING DEPARTMENTS:
Date: October 4, 2019 Report No. 2019-178
City Manager’s Office
STAFF TIME TO COMPLETE REPORT:
1.5 hours