The recent murder of Ahmaud Arbery in Brunswick, Georgia, brings to mind the ugly history of lynching in America. Bryan Stevenson, founder of the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI), defines lynching as "a racially motivated act of violence committed by two or more people where there is no accountability." Lynchings were brutal acts of torture, often in public, designed to terrorize black people. State and federal officials generally looked the other way. EJI has documented more than 4400 lynchings of black people in the United States between 1877 and 1950.
Our March book Race and Place may have sparked your interest in urban geography. Dive in more deeply with these great resources:
- Mapping Inequality: Redlining in New Deal America. Explore more than 150 redlining maps, including Seattle.
https://dsl.richmond.edu/panorama/redlining - The Statistic Atlas: A treasure trove of demographical statistics. You can look at any area in the United States and even drill down as far as your state legislative district.
https://statisticalatlas.com/United-States/Overview
When we hear the name Malcolm X, a variety of adjectives comes to mind: black nationalist, Muslim, radical, civil rights leader, and for others, racist.
Few people who have an opinion on Malcolm X actually know that who he was in the beginning of his career, was dramatically different by his tragic end. His story is that of transformation. Malcolm, at his end, left the Nation of Islam and became a Sunni Muslim and was very publicly for the brotherhood of all people as God's creation.
Looking for ways to commemorate MLK Day? Here are some ideas:
- Participate in a tree planting at Eastgate Park. The tree-planting will be 10 a.m.-2 p.m. at the park, 14509 SE Newport Way. Gloves, tools, hot drinks, water and snacks will be provided. To sign up, go to EarthCorps.org and click on "Volunteer Calendar."
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