1946 Massacre at Moore's Ford Bridge Still an Unsolved Case; Evidence and Testimony Continue to Grow But No Closure to This Gruesome Georgia Crime
Atlanta, GA (PRWEB) July 10, 2014 -- On July 25, 1946, two African American couples and an unborn baby were shot more than 60 times and lynched near the Moore’s Ford Bridge, in Walton and Oconee counties between Monroe and Watkinsville, GA. Roger and his wife Dorothy Dorsey Malcom, who was seven months pregnant, along with George and his wife May Murray Dorsey were massacred by a mob of white men who accosted them as they headed home. There were approximately 200 people in the lynch mob who watched this egregious act.
On July 26, 2014, the Georgia Association of Black Elected Officials (GABEO) will lead its 10th annual protest of this injustice with a reenactment of the human slaughter that occurred on July 25, 1946 at the Moore’s Ford Bridge. Volunteers from the community will perform the reenactment. The commemoration activities begin at 10:00 a.m. at the First African Baptist Church, 130 Tyler Street, Monroe, GA, 30655, on Highway 11 (across from Churches Chicken). Further activities of the day include visiting the grave sites, the old county jail, and the Moore’s Ford Bridge at 4:00 p.m. for the Reenactment Ceremony. The public is invited.
Tyrone Brooks, president of GABEO and a member of the Georgia State House of Representatives, has been the catalyst that places the stoplight on the Moore’s Ford crimes each year. “In spite of many obstacles, turn-a rounds, and setbacks, we cannot stop this journey for justice, respect, and the enforcement of the law,” said Brooks. There was a story published in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and written by Christian Boone (3/6/2014) about an interview conducted by former president of the NAACP Ben Jealous with Wayne Watkins, a local resident. When Jealous asked Watkins if he knew the identities of the killers, Watkins said, “Many of them (the killers) are still alive.” “The killings of our people cannot be overlooked. We must take action,” added Brooks.
Because the Moore’s Ford case received national attention, President Harry Truman sent the FBI to the area to investigate. There were thirty-five names of suspects on a list of possible culprits, but the agents were met with a wall of silence. GA Governor Barnes reopened the case in 2001. In 2013, the NAACP investigated and made phone calls to the U.S. Department of Justice. Still the unsolved massacre that happened at the Moore’s Ford Bridge near Monroe, GA continues to ring out to America for justice. “Before Martin Luther King Jr. was assassinated, the Moore’s Ford Bridge murders were on his agenda to tackle. Dr. Ralph Abernathy, Hosea Williams and Dan Young, who buried the victims, had many conversations about this. As we celebrate the 1964 Civil Rights Act and honor the memory of all of the civil rights giants who inspired us, let us concentrate our collective strength and efforts to correct this atrocity,” said Brooks.
SCLC has also been instrumental in calling attention to this injustice and has worked hand-in-hand with Tyrone Brooks for a number of years. Dr. Charles Steele, president and CEO of SCLC is making plans to create a Moore’s Ford Bridge Museum. “Gathering information and memorabilia on the people who were involved in this event and telling this story will be a priority,” says Steele. Reverend Dr. C. T. Vivian, recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom and vice president of SCLC, says, “We support Brooks in his efforts to fix this because he is right. He has not lost the passion for correcting wrongs and making things right throughout the state of Georgia and the world.”
For GABEO and Moore’s Ford source information, visit http://www.ga-gabeo.org/moores.html.
For directions to the reenactment, contact the office of Representative Brooks at 404-656-6372.
About GABEO -- With more than 1000 members statewide, GABEO's main focus is on developing programs which will provide deterrents to violence and crime among youth; promoting voter registration, education and participation, forming literacy programs to battle the growing problem of illiteracy in the state; securing economic parity for all Georgians; preserving minority voting strength, and removing the divisive Confederate emblem from the Georgia state flag. GABEO often works in conjunction with the NAACP, SCLC, Rainbow/PUSH Coalition, The Coalition for a Peoples Agenda, and the National Youth Connection on issues vital to the community.
BUNNIE JACKSON-RANSOM, FIRST CLASS, INC., http://www.fclassinc.com, +1 (404) 505-8188, [email protected]
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