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Remembrance, Reconciliation & Reveal
A sculpture that tells part of Anderson County’s history
Please Join Us For the Reveal
5:30pm - Daniel Recital Hall
September 21st, 2023
September 21st, 2023
A Part of History Visualized
Between the end of the Civil War and the mid-1940s, thousands of African Americans were killed in the United States, victims of violent and public acts of torture that traumatized Black communities locally and throughout the country.
In February 2015, the Equal Justice Initiative issued a news report documenting 4,000 lynchings that took place in 12 states—including 189 African Americans killed in South Carolina.
Anderson University, in partnership with the Anderson Area Remembrance and Reconciliation Initiative, is helping tell their stories.
Our deepest hope and earnest prayer is to be the hands and feet of Jesus in this moment of remembrance, reconciliation, and revelation.
He alone can heal every wound, dry every tear, and mend every broken heart.
History & Society
lynching
mob violence
a form of violence in which a mob, under the pretext of administering justice without trial, executes a presumed offender, often after inflicting torture and corporal mutilation.
*Definition from Britannica
Remembrance
“There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.”
— Ephesians 4:3-6
— Ephesians 4:3-6
The Sculpture
Commissioned by the Anderson Area Remembrance and Reconciliation Initiative, artist Herman Keith Jr. created a statue commemorating the five victims of racial lynching in Anderson County. It is part of a larger movement, with connecting works that can be found at the Anderson County Museum and the National Memorial for Peace and Justice in Montgomery, Alabama. This sculpture is a moveable work of art that will continue traveling across Anderson County, providing members of our shared community the opportunity to remember and reflect. Anderson University is honored to be a part of the sculpture’s journey throughout the community.
The jars of dirt represent soil from sites where the five men were believed to be lynched. The jars are suspended over burned wood, kerosene cans, and other items that reflect how the victims suffered.
Real Lives, Real Stories
Anderson University is helping tell the story of how these five men died. While the news articles only scrape the surface of what transpired, they offer a glimpse of the lives they lived and the families they left behind.
The news articles you see below have been carefully collected by the Anderson Independent Mail and paired with historical information from that time to accurately retell what occurred.
The Anderson Area Remembrance & Reconciliation Initiative has a multitude of resources on how to learn more about the history surrounding this time in Anderson County. We encourage you to learn more on their website.
Edward Sullivan
1894
Williamston,
Anderson County, SC
Elbert Harris
1898
Anderson,
Anderson County, SC
John Laddison
1901
Rock Mills Township,
Anderson County, SC
Reuben Elrod
1903
Brushy Creek Township,
Anderson County, SC
Willis Jackson
1911
Honea Path,
Anderson County, SC
To find out more about the lives of these men, visit Independent Mail’s website.
Finding Reuben
This documentary was a product of Anderson University’s COM 451 Class: Documentary Storytelling. The documentary was produced in 2023 by students Destiny Donald, Adam Edwards, Zachary Freeman, Jordan Huffman, Morgan Lane, Rayln Ligon; and Assistant Professor Bobby Rettew.