In 1908 a Black man named Eli Pigot was accused of assaulting a white woman. Back then, of course, even LOOKING at a white woman could be considered “assault.”
Pigot was promised a trial. But he didn’t even make it inside the courthouse.
Upon Pigot’s arrival, an armed white mob attacked him! They even fought against armed military guards, who were supposed to protect Pigot. The military quickly surrendered, letting the mob grab Pigot.
He was violently beaten and dragged away.
2,000 white people gathered for Pigot’s lynching. His body was riddled with bullet holes and hung from a telephone pole outside the courthouse – a stark reminder that white supremacy was the true law of the land.
Afterward, the press bashed Pigot and made it seem like the military guards had acted heroically. Even worse, the judge assigned to Pigot’s trial witnessed the murder and did nothing, AND men scheduled to be on his jury were part of the mob!
No one was held accountable for his murder.
Pigot deserved a fair trial, and deserved to live. Today, Black people are still murdered for bogus reasons, killed by police and authorities before they ever get a fair shake at justice, and blamed by the media. We must continue to challenge systems that continue showing us that in America, white supremacy remains the law of the land!