Killing Black people has been a crucial goal of this country’s execution practices. It’s not about justice – and historically, some cases make this clearer than others. These are some of those stories.
Lynching victims.
Before the death penalty was what it is today, lynching set the standard for this indefensible, barbaric practice. Our blood soils the ground that the practice of execution was founded on.
Never forget Lena Baker.
Lena Baker was sexually abused and held in slavery by a white man she was hired to look after. He eventually threatened her with a gun and a struggle followed. She shot him in self-defense - and Georgia executed her for it in 1945.
Never forget George Stinney, Jr.
George Stinney, Jr. was spit on and abused after being wrongfully accused of killing two white girls. He was 14, and so small he had to sit on a book to be executed by South Carolina in 1944. His case was overturned 70 years later in 2014.
Never forget Troy Davis.
Georgia executed Troy Davis in 2011, despite serious doubts about his conviction. Witnesses recanted, and another person was said to have confessed. Troy maintained his innocence. Appeals to President Obama failed, and Troy was put to death anyways.
It’s still happening.
Nathaniel Woods, Ledell Lee, and Brandon Bernard are some names of those who have been wrongly accused, deprived of fair trials, and executed anyhow. It’s not just about innocence or guilt, it’s about joining the rest of majority of the world in abolishing the death penalty!