State historical marker on Jesse Washington lynching progresses
After a four-year effort, installation of a state historical marker for the 1916 lynching of Jesse Washington in downtown Waco is coming into sight, with a dedication possible on the May 15 anniversary of the atrocity next year near City Hall, a local organizer of the effort said.
The Texas Historical Commission is moving forward toward the marker’s completion after about a year’s delay in processing the application and the supporting historical background for the marker, said Jo Welter, board chair of the Community Race Relations Coalition. Varying efforts over the years have pushed unsuccessfully for a public memorial to the lynching, which was by no means an isolated incident but sparked an international reaction in large part because it was photographed while in progress.
Welter talked with a commission official last week and found the commission has the proposed text for the marker ready. After coalition members revise and approve the text, the state marker would be cast and delivered to the city for installation.
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