Day of Remembrance for Three Men Lynched in 1920

DULUTH, MINN.  The Annual Day of Remembrance for the three men lynched in Duluth in 1920, was held at the memorial located in downtown Duluth.

The three men, Elias Clayton, Elmer Jackson, and Isaac Mcghie were lynched on June 15, 1920. The men worked for the circus and were accused of raping a 19-year-old woman. One year later, Minnesota passed anti-lynching legislation and since then, there have been no recorded lynchings.

In 2000 the Clayton, Jackson, Mcghie memorial was erected on the corner of First Street and Second Avenue. The co-chair of the memorial, Kim Green, says the purpose of the event is to foster racial justice and promote healing and reconciliation.

“Racism is not just a black thing anymore, it’s a native thing, an Asian thing, it’s a human rights thing, it ain’t just color anymore,” said Green.  She went on to say, it’s a slow process, I have to admit that because racism is very deep. We’re not going to be able to eliminate it, but we can make a difference for this country and this community.”

Green says plans for the future include coordinating with other communities and organizations who are also working toward eliminating or reducing racism at all levels.