Georgia Association of Black Elected Officials

Georgia Association of Black Elected Officials
News Conference and Re-enactment of 1946 Moore's Ford Bridge Lynchings

GABEO (Georgia Association of Black Elected Officials) held a news conference at the State Capital in Atlanta, Georgia beside the statue of Governor Eugene Talmadge at 10am on July 21, 2008. This conference was held to bring awareness of the 1946 lynchings of Roger Malcom and his wife and unborn daughter and George and Mae Murray Dorsey. Reenactment of the lynchings will take place on Friday, July 25, 2008, the 62nd anniversary of the murders and the 4th reenactment to date.

During the news conference, an actor portraying Governor Eugene Talmadge spoke at the old Walton County jail in Monroe, where Roger Malcom was held for 11 days before the lynching. Ms. Euriel “Blondie” Young and Ms. Portia Scott were guest speakers. Young is the daughter of the late funeral director Dan Young, who picked up the bodies of the victims and prepared them for burial. Scott is the daughter of Atlanta Daily World co-founder C.A. Scott, who helped to break the story in the Black press and demanded prosecution of the killers.

This year marks the fourth annual reenactment of the Moore’s Ford Bridge murders in Monroe County, Georgia, the last public mass lynching in the United States. On July 25, 1946, the Dorseys and the Malcoms and their unborn daughter were slaughtered by a mob of unmasked white men at the Moore’s Ford Bridge. Five suspects continue to live in Walton County.

Congressman John Lewis of Georgia’s 5th District and Senator Christopher Dodd of Connecticut have been instrumental over the years in helping to unmask the killers in this case. The two are co-sponsors of HR 923, also known as the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act, which authorizes $10 million annually for 10 years to prosecute cold case civil rights murders. Because of the heinous nature of the murders and the number of victims, the Moore’s Ford Bridge lynchings are at the top of the list of crimes investigated. There is also a $35,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and prosecution of the killers.

Please see below for a complete itinerary of the events being held on Friday, July 25, 2008 in Monroe, Georgia and directions to this remembrance of those whose murderers still remain free.

1st African Baptist ChurchTyler Street at Highway 11 (Across from Church’s Chicken)12 Noon – Church Opens for Meditation and Prayers for Justice2 p.m. – Pre-Reenactment Rally
Invited Guest Speakers will include National and Local Civil/Human Rights and Political Leaders
Reenactment Timeline Narrator: Mr. Robert Howard, Civil Rights Activist Walton CountyDirector: Ms. Bobbie Paul, Director, WANDCoordinator: Ms. Hattie Lawson, Chair, Athens Area Human Relations Council 4:30 p.m. Leave 1st African Baptist Church4:45 p.m. Arrive at the Farm House of Barney Hester, 2932 Hester Town Road(This is where the altercation occurred leading to the arrest of Roger Malcom, Sunday, July 14, 1946.)5 p.m. Leave Barney Hester’s House5:15 p.m. Arrive at the Old County Jail, 203 Milledge Avenue, Downtown Monroe(Place where Roger Malcom was held for 11 days.)5:30 p.m. Leave the Jail en route to the Moore’s Ford Bridge (This is the exact time that Loy Harrison (white farmer) took the Malcoms and the Dorseys from the jail and delivered them to the KKK lynch mob waiting at the Moore’s Ford Bridge.)6 p.m. Arrive at the Moore’s Ford Bridge for the Reenactment Ceremony and Call for Justice: Arrest and Prosecution Now!!7 p.m. Benediction: At the Historic Memorial Marker Dedicated to the Legacy of: Roger and Dorothy Malcom (and unborn infant), George and Mae Murray Dorsey. And a Challenge to Us All to Continue Our Quest and Pursuit of Justice.
Note: There is a $35,000 Reward for information that leads to the Arrest and Prosecution of the Killers. If You Have Information of the Lynchings, Please Contact: The GBI – 404-244-2600 or the FBI – 404-679-9000. For More Information Contact: Rep. Tyrone Brooks, President, 404-656-6372 or 404-372-1894, or visit our Web site: www.gabeo.org
Message to the killers: “You can run but you can’t hide forever!”


Directions
From Atlanta:
Take I-20 East
Exit at Conyers-Athens
Take Highway 138
Turn left and head straight to Monroe
(Pass McDonalds on your left and keep straight on Highway 78)
Exit at Highway 11 (Monroe Exit)
Turn right
Go one block and turn left on Tyler Street
Church is on your left (look for Church’s Chicken on the right)
Telephone (7 70) 267-5819


From Decatur:
Go Hwy. 78 East, pass Loganville to Monroe Exit
Turn Right, then left at Tyler Street
Church is on your left (look for Church’s Chicken on the right)
Coming I-20 West:
Exit at Monroe Monticello Exit #98
Turn right. Stay on Highway 11 straight to Monroe
(Approximately 13 miles)
You will pass through downtown Social Circle to Monroe
(Stay on Hwy. 11 North)
Look for Church’s Chicken on your left
Turn right on Tyler Street
You are at the church


Coming From Athens:
Take Highway 78 West to Monroe
Exit on East Spring Street, come into town
Take a right on Broad Street at courthouse (Hwy.11)
Turn right and come up to Church’s Chicken
Turn right on Tyler Street
Coming from Macon area:
Come to Monticello
Take Highway 11, North all the way to Monroe
(Follow the instructions as outlined above)
Note: If you pass Church’s Chicken you have gone too far.

For More Information Call Rep. Tyrone Brooks @ (404) 372-1894, (404) 656-6372
and visit www.gabeo.org.