Accused of murdering a white cop in 1981, the mistrial of Josephus Anderson sent Unit 900 of the Alabama-based United Klans of America into a violent outrage.
Two members would unload their hatred onto 19-year-old Michael Donald.
Donald had no connection to Anderson, but Henry Hays and “Tiger” Knowles didn’t care. Yearning for racist retribution, they held the unsuspecting Donald at gunpoint, forcing him into their vehicle with every intention to kill. But Donald refused to die without a fight.
After being dragged to an isolated, wooded area, Donald disarmed Hays and took off. Sadly, it was two against one.
While Knowles ceaselessly beat Donald with a branch, Hays strangled him until his body lay motionless. But, even in death, the racists’ work wasn’t done.
They slit Donald’s throat then hung his body from a tree. Initially, police blamed the death on a drug deal gone wrong, but Donald’s determined mother refused to let that false tale be spun. And the community had her back.
Hard-fought justice came in 1983. The two men were convicted of murder - the civil case bankrupted the UKA.
It’s tough to believe incidents like this still happen today, but they do. It’s why the Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act is necessary. And why we must always fight for each other in the face and aftermath of brutal racism.