Editorial Roundup: Tennessee
Kingsport Times News. February 14, 2024.
Editorial: We must remember our history — both good and bad
It was a matter of coincidence that a letter to the editor from Rick Toomey of Kingsport appeared in the same edition as our story on the installation of a second marker detailing a lynching near Appalachia 114 years ago. But there could have been no better explanation as to why that marker is so important.
His many friends know Rick Toomey as a man of deep faith with a commitment to racial justice and harmony. In his letter, Toomey speaks of “Be the Bridge,” and for those unfamiliar with that very worthwhile organization, it seeks to empower people and culture toward racial healing, equity and reconciliation.
Members of the Wise County/City of Norton Community Remembrance Coalition recently assembled near Appalachia to install a second marker sign detailing the lynching of Dave Hurst at the hands of a white mob.
An elderly woman living in the Kent Junction area had accused Hurst of attacking her in November 1920. Hurst was arrested and taken to the Wise County Jail before a white mob seized him, hanged and shot him, and dragged his body along the old Appalachia-to-Norton road.
The coalition, with the help of the Alabama-based Equal Justice Initiative, installed a marker near the site of Hurst’s murder, but it was stolen just two months after its dedication. As per our story, the same day Toomey’s letter published, ceremony speakers at the marker’s recent re-installation spoke of the need to remember Hurst’s death.
EJI representative Deksyos Damtew said, “We hope that this re-installation does not discourage us but instead it reminds us that, much like the era of Reconstruction, much like the civil rights movement, there are often people who will stand in the way of the work of remembrance. But it is important for us to continue this work, to bear witness and to continue the fight for truth and justice.”
Toomey’s letter spoke of another dark moment in our history and why we must never forget them.
Toomey wrote, “In a recent Be the Bridge group, one of our black participants shared that until a few years ago she was not aware of the 1921 Tulsa race massacre in which over 100 black people were killed, 10,000 were left homeless, and the current equivalent of $36.9 million of black people’s personal property was destroyed. She shared the sadness of never being taught this part of her people’s history.
“We must be willing to examine the facts about our racial history, lament with sadness the tragic things that were done to black people in our country, learn from these horrific acts, and make changes to ensure no person is ever treated unjustly due to the color of their skin.
“Confronting our history of racism does not have to be about shaming people who are white or trying to make them feel guilty about the past acts of white people, even our own ancestors. It is about being saddened by past evil actions and examining our own acts of commission and omission to ensure we are not perpetuating racism.
“By confessing any racist acts, experiencing God’s forgiveness and the forgiveness of those we’ve wronged, we can build bridges that bring us together. Racial reconciliation does not have to be a dream. We can come together.”
No one, ourselves included, could have said it better. It’s well worth remembering what Spanish philosopher George Santayana said: “Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”
That’s why these reminders are necessary.
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