Turner, Mary – The brutality That Exists Among Us
By
John C Abercrombie
Today is day 26 of a 28 day series devoted to uncovering a source of American disgrace. Warning – this is a difficult case for some readers and parental guidance may be in order for younger readers. Many would just as soon not know about it because it is difficult to face the brutality of racism and choose to remain blissfully ignorant on purpose.
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May in 1918 there was mob violence in Lowndes County, Georgia. A White farmer was murdered as is so often the case a mob killed at 11 Blacks in return.
Lowndes County is a county located in the south central portion of the U.S. state of Georgia. As of the 2020 census the population was 118,251. The county seat is Valdosta.
Mary Turner, the marker’s named victim, was eight months pregnant. The mob targeted her because she spoke out against the lynching of her husband Hayes. A crowd of several hundred watched the men hang, burn, and shoot Turner, then cut out her fetus and stomp it into the ground.
The lynching of Mary Turner’s husband was May 1918 in southern Georgia, United States. White people killed at least 13 Black people during the next two weeks. Among those killed were Hayes and Mary Turner. Hayes was killed on May 18, and the next day (May 19), his pregnant wife Mary was strung up by her feet, doused with gasoline and oil then set on fire. Mary’s unborn child was cut from her abdomen and stomped to death. Her body was then repeatedly shot. No one was ever convicted of her murder.
The horror of Turner’s lynching did not stay secret. During the late 1910s and early 1920s, the incident galvanized anti-lynching protest around the country. Writers and artists including Angelina Weld Grimké, Meta Warrick Fuller, Anne Spencer, and Jean Toomer saw the lynching as an example of how racial violence traumatizes individuals, families, and communities. Organizations such as the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and the Commission on Interracial Cooperation (CIC) used Turner’s death in magazine exposés and informational pamphlets as evidence that lynching was less about punishment for black male criminality and more about the public performance of white supremacy.
The Anti-Lynching Crusaders, arguing that lynching was an attack on women as well as men, featured Turner as the centerpiece of a campaign to support federal legislation against mob violence. The Crusaders raised money and awareness for the 1922 Dyer Bill, sponsored by Leonidas C. Dyer, a Republican Representative from Missouri, which proposed to make lynching a felony. The bill passed the House but stalled in the Senate when Southern Democrats threatened a filibuster. Although Turner’s lynching was barbaric, more conventional excuses for mob violence—what Ida B. Wells called the “rape myth”—remained intractable.
In time Turner’s name became a historical footnote, as stories like those of the Scottsboro Boys, in 1931, and Emmett Till, in 1955, dominated headlines.
It was not until the late 20th century that writers and artists began to recover Turner as an example of how mainstream history marginalizes Black women. The title of Freida High Tesfagiorgis’s 1985 painting about Turner, “Hidden Memories,” captures the sense of erasure that many others find in her story.
Many people conveniently refuse to discuss the incident. This is a great deal more common than anyone can imagine. The “Lynching Rampage of 1918” occurred during a single week in mid-May and was spread out over two Georgia counties—Brooks and Lowndes. 11 victims were confirmed. Other bodies of Black males were found but not identified, and others disappeared, never to be heard from again.
Walter White was of mixed race with African and European ancestry on both sides. He is quoted with the following statement “I am a Negro. My skin is white, my eyes are blue, my hair is blond. The traits of my race are nowhere visible upon me.” Of his 32 great-great-great-grandparents, only five were Black, and the other 27 were White.
William Henry Harrison (February 9, 1773 – April 4, 1841) was an American military officer and politician who served as the ninth president of the United States. Harrison died just 31 days after his inauguration in 1841 and had the shortest presidency in United States history.
Walter White, who investigated the lynchings for the NAACP, publicly named 16 local mob ringleaders, but in fact a large swath of the population likely saw or took part in the events.
Hundreds—from Brooks, Lowndes, and surrounding counties—witnessed Mary Turner’s murder, as well as those of Will Head and Will Thompson, two men accused of complicity in the death of the White farmer Hampton Smith. Hayes Turner’s body hung on a main road, just outside the town of Quitman, for a day before it was cut down. A terrorist tactic to intimidate an entire community. When Sidney Johnson, who killed Smith during a wage dispute, was finally captured and shot, the mob dragged his body the 20-plus miles from Valdosta to the small town of Barney, near the site of the present-day historical marker. How many people watched this terrible parade is unclear.
In the early 2000s, the Mary Turner Project, a small but dedicated group based out of Valdosta State, spearheaded a coalition to erect the historical marker, hoping to end the silence. The marker went up in 2010. Within a year, someone shot a bullet right through its middle. Since then, the marker has been shot at least three more times.
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Our mission is to provide those historical facts that have been omitted from history. Believing that America is strong because of contributions by all groups and individuals.
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The Lynching of Mary Turner
Black Lives Matter: Mary Turner and the Lynchings of 1918. A Story of Racial Hatred in the South.
In 1918 Mary Turner and at least 13 other African Americans were killed by an angry white mob in southern Georgia. This is this story.
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Book
Mary Turner and the Memory of Lynching
Mary Turner and the Memory of Lynching traces the reaction of activists, artists, writers, and local residents to the brutal lynching of a pregnant woman near Valdosta, Georgia. In 1918, the murder of a white farmer led to a week of mob violence that claimed the lives of at least eleven African Americans, including Hayes Turner. When his wife Mary vowed to press charges against the killers, she too fell victim to the mob.
Mary’s lynching was particularly brutal and involved the grisly death of her eight-month-old fetus. It led to both an entrenched local silence and a widespread national response in newspaper and magazine accounts, visual art, film, literature, and public memorials. Turner’s story became a centerpiece of the Anti-Lynching Crusaders campaign for the 1922 Dyer Bill, which sought to make lynching a federal crime. Julie Buckner Armstrong explores the complex and contradictory ways this horrific event was remembered in works such as Walter White’s report in the NAACP’s newspaper the Crisis, the “Kabnis” section of Jean Toomer’s Cane, Angelina Weld Grimké’s short story “Goldie,” and Meta Fuller’s sculpture Mary Turner: A Silent Protest against Mob Violence.
Like those of Emmett Till and Leo Frank, Turner’s story continues to resonate on multiple levels. Armstrong’s work provides insight into the different roles black women played in the history of lynching: as victims, as loved ones left behind, and as those who fought back. The crime continues to defy conventional forms of representation, illustrating what can, and cannot, be said about lynching and revealing the difficulty and necessity of confronting this nation’s legacy of racial violence.
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Mary Turner Lynching & The Week of Terror In Brooks & Lowndes County Georgia
Subject: Georgia Justice Has Yet To Be Served From The Governor’s Office 1928-2014 {Open Case & Still Pending)
1. Moore’s Ford Bridge:
2. Madison Florida Murders:
3. Rosewood Murders:
4. John Brown:
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Book
Elegy for Mary Turner: An Illustrated Account of a Lynching
A lyrical and haunting depiction of American racial violence and lynching, evoked through stunning full-color artwork
In late May 1918 in Valdosta, Georgia, ten Black men and one Black woman—Mary Turner, eight months pregnant at the time—were lynched and tortured by mobs of white citizens.
Through hauntingly detailed full-color artwork and collage, Elegy for Mary Turner names those who were killed, identifies the killers, and evokes a landscape in which the NAACP investigated the crimes when the state would not and a time when white citizens baked pies and flocked to see Black corpses while Black people fought to make their lives—and their mourning—matter.
Included are contributions from C. Tyrone Forehand, great-grandnephew of Mary and Hayes Turner, whose family has long campaigned for the deaths to be remembered; abolitionist activist and educator Mariame Kaba, reflecting on the violence visited on Black women’s bodies; and historian Julie Buckner Armstrong, who opens a window onto the broader scale of lynching’s terror in American history.
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The 1918 lynching of Mary Turner and her unborn baby
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Book
Before the Mayflower: A History of Black America
The black experience in America – starting from its origins in western Africa up to 1961 – is examined in this seminal study from a prominent African American figure. The entire historical timeline of African Americans is addressed, from the Colonial period through the civil rights upheavals of the late 1950s to 1961, the time of publication.
Before the Mayflower grew out of a series of articles Bennett published in Ebony magazine, regarding “the trials and triumphs of a group of Americans whose roots in the American soil are deeper than the roots of the Puritans who arrived on the celebrated Mayflower a year after a Dutch man of war deposited twenty Negroes at Jamestown.”
Bennett’s history is infused with a desire to set the record straight about black contributions to the Americas and about the powerful Africans of antiquity. While not a fresh history, it provides a solid synthesis of current historical research and a lively writing style that makes it accessible and engaging listening.
After discussing the contributions of Africans to the ancient world, Before the Mayflower tells the history of “the other Americans”, how they came to America, and what happened to them when they got here.
The book is comprehensive and detailed, providing little-known and often overlooked facts about the lives of black folks through slavery, Reconstruction, America’s wars, the Great Depression, and the civil rights movement. The book includes a useful time line and some fascinating archival images.
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Lest We Forget Episode 3 Mary Turner And Her Infant
In episode 3 of Lest We Forget, we will explore the horrific and brutal murder of Hayes and Mary Turner along with their unborn infant. In our current world, it is easy for some to think that these crimes happened over a hundred years ago, and therefore, they are no longer relevant. While time is said to heal all wounds, it is impossible for a wound to heal that continually gets ripped apart. In memory of Ahmad Avery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd, we hear your cries for justice, and we march proudly in your honor
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Book
The Black History Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained
Learn about the most important milestones in Black history in The Black History Book.
Part of the fascinating Big Ideas series, this book tackles tricky topics and themes in a simple and easy to follow format. Learn about Black History in this overview guide to the subject, great for novices looking to find out more and experts wishing to refresh their knowledge alike! The Black History Book brings a fresh and vibrant take on the topic through eye-catching graphics and diagrams to immerse yourself in.
This captivating book will broaden your understanding of Black History, with:
– Covers the most important milestones in Black and African history
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– Easy to follow text makes topics accessible for people at any level of understanding
The Black History Book is a captivating introduction to the key milestones in Black History, culture, and society across the globe – from the ancient world to the present, aimed at adults with an interest in the subject and students wanting to gain more of an overview. Explore the rich history of the peoples of Africa and the African diaspora, and the struggles and triumphs of Black communities around the world, all through engaging text and bold graphics.
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Which were the most powerful African empires? Who were the pioneers of jazz? What sparked the Black Lives Matter movement? If you thought it was difficult to learn about the legacy of African-American history, The Black History Book presents crucial information in an easy to follow layout. Learn about the earliest human migrations to modern Black communities, stories of the early kingdoms of Ancient Egypt and Nubia; the powerful medieval and early modern empires; and the struggle against colonization. This book also explores Black history beyond the African continent, like the Atlantic slave trade and slave resistance settlements; the Harlem Renaissance and Jazz Age; the Windrush migration; civil rights and Black feminist movements.
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Pregnant Black Woman Lynched in #Valdosta GA | Black Men & Women NEED each other to SURVIVE‼️
Rest In Power to Hayes & #MaryTurner and their unborn child. Much respect to all families affected by the evil acts committed in 1918 during the lynching rampage in #ValdostaGA RedSummer and throughout our story.
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The following book is a great addition to the above and can be used to answer and further your search for ancestors that can bring pride to you. We come from strong roots, discover and take pride!
Black Roots: A Beginners Guide To Tracing The African American Family Tree
Trace, document, record, and write your family’s history with this easy-to-read, step-by-step authoritative guide.
Finally, here is the fun, easy-to-use guide that African Americans have been waiting for since Alex Haley published Roots more than twenty-five years ago. Written by the leading African American professional genealogist in the United States who teaches and lectures widely, Black Roots highlights some of the special problems, solutions, and sources unique to African Americans. Based on solid genealogical principles and designed for those who have little or no experience researching their family’s past, but valuable to any genealogist, this book explains everything you need to get started, including: where to search close to home, where to write for records, how to make the best use of libraries and the Internet, and how to organize research, analyze historical documents, and write the family history.
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-a list of the traps even experienced researchers often fall into that hamper their research
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For Black History Month 2020, we posted daily. These posts focus on the reality of Black life in America after the Civil War culminating in the landmark Brown v Board of Education that changed so many of the earlier practices. To see the posts, click here
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For Black History Month 2022 we focused on “Health and Wellness”. To see the entire series, click this link.
For Women’s History Month 2022 we introduced you to 31 amazing Black women we should all know. To see the entire series, click this link.
We also posted a 5 part mini-series on the 100th anniversary of one of the most horrific massacres in the history of America. Hundreds of Blacks were slaughtered and 10,000 left homeless in this largely unknown event. To see the posts, click here.
We also did a mini-series on the Schomburg Center for Research a most amazing collection of Black history and culture. To see this mini-series, click here
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A world class collection of Black History inspired by a 5th grade teacher who told Arturo Schomburg that there was NO African history. Nothing of value. Schomburg dedicated his life to proving that teacher wrong and Schomburg did an amazing job with his collection.
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It is almost impossible to understand the cruelty inflicted on Black America by the Christian citizens of a country that professes such strong belief. The inhumanity may be one of the reasons that people are ashamed of their ancestors’ actions. However, failing to acknowledge them does not make peace now or in the future. You may choose to ignore it but that does not make it so. Make peach with what has happened and commit to avoiding a repeat.
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Current Mini-series on voting
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Voting Tutorial – Click this important link
Voting – Voter Suppression – Click this important link
Voting – Gerrymandering Explained, This post
For Black History Month 2020, we posted daily. These posts focus on the reality of Black life in America after the Civil War culminating in the landmark Brown v Board of Education that changed so many of the earlier practices. To see the posts, click here
For Black History Month 2021, we focused on Black Medical Achievements, Inventors and Scientists. To see those posts, click here.
For Black History Month 2022 we focused on “Health and Wellness”. To see the entire series, click this link.
For Women’s History Month 2022 we introduced you to 31 amazing Black women we should all know. To see the entire series, click this link.
We also posted a 5 part mini-series on the 100th anniversary of one of the most horrific massacres in the history of America. Hundreds of Blacks were slaughtered and 10,000 left homeless in this largely unknown event. To see the posts, click here.
We also did a mini-series on the Schomburg Center for Research a most amazing collection of Black history and culture. To see this mini-series, click here
The Schomburg Center
A world class collection of Black History inspired by a 5th grade teacher who told Arturo Schomburg that there was NO African history. Nothing of value. Schomburg dedicated his life to proving that teacher wrong and Schomburg did an amazing job with his collection.
Schomburg – The man who built a library
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The murder of Mary Turner and her unborn child is difficult to even read about, until you look at the legacy of animosity towards Blacks which was all too common in America. It is downright barbaric, but once again there were other incidents where women were subjected to something that we find so sickening. It is understandable that people do not want to be identified as a descendant of anyone like this, but the solution at this point in time is to prevent it from ever happening again.
We have been led to believe that everyone in America had an equal chance to succeed but this statement leaves the ugly, disgusting, uncivilized acts like this unresolved, something that no well meaning person is willing to do. The solution is to feel uncomfortable and realize that facts like this must be recognized for what it actually is – a complete disregard of the life of others. After this the discomfort, it is necessary to come together and find ways to resolve the animosity that allows it to have happened in the first place.
Problems like this linger because one group would rather ignore it and allow it to fester, while others recognize that the failure will condone it happening again. It is time for America to show the courage to solve this