photographed by Lewis Brandon
photos taken on Nov. 24, 2008

Approximately sixty years ago in the summer of 1946, two couples in Monroe, Georgia, were dragged out of a vehicle by a white lynch mob, tied to a tree, and brutally shot near the Moore's Ford Bridge. Dorothy Malcolm, one of the victims was seven months pregnant at the time of the shooting. The reason behind what is strongly believed to be a racially motivated incident is still being investigated by law enforcement agencies and the Monroe community.  The community is seeking to understand and heal from this tragedy that has had long term effects on its well being.

On October 25, 2008, Joseph Frierson, Coordinator of the Greensboro Truth & Reconciliation Local Task Force, Lewis Brandon, Beloved Community Center Grassroots Coordinator, and Ed Whitfield, of the fund for Democratic Communities and the Beloved Community Center, traveled to Monroe, GA, to participate in a panel and share how Truth & Reconciliation processes can help a community examine the past, and heal in the present. Representatives for Southern Truth and Reconciliation (S.T.A.R) as well as community leaders were also present. The panel discussion was organized by interested and concerned citizens of the Monroe community.

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