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Slavery and Nathan Corder
Nathan Corder was the person most responsible for Arthur Jordan’s murder. He was also an enslaver from a long line of enslavers. Was there a link between the two? Did Corder’s past lead to his later cruelty? In his 1845 autobiography, Frederick Douglass, a former enslaved person, said that slavery was harmful to both enslaver…
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I wish I’d said that
One of the curious aspects of book publishing occurs toward the end of the process, when the publisher sends you copies of the pages of your new book. The pages look exactly as they will in the finished book. The author’s job is to read them one more time and sign a statement saying that…
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Can a white man talk about the Black experience?
During a talk at Germanna Community College in February, a student asked me a question I have long considered. She wanted to know if I as a white man had the standing to talk about the prejudice experienced by Black people. I answered, yes, I believe I do. I realize that as a white man…
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‘No requiem, save the night wind’
One of the many things that enraged civil right advocate Ida B. Wells about lynching was the lack of remembrance for the victims. For Wells, the deaths were bad enough, but the shame and terror that accompanied those deaths were worse. “They had no requiem, save the night wind, no memorial service to bemoan their…
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New book on the way
It’s been nearly five years since I first heard from Kirk Goolsby, a resident of Warrenton, Va. Kirk invited me to meet him at the Warrenton Cemetery to see what he believed was the tree from which Arthur Jordan was lynched. I accepted Kirk’s invitation, and now I trace a direct line from that visit…
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Does anyone know a good recipe for crow?
Last month I predicted in this blog that the Virginia General Assembly would reject a proposed lynching resolution. Today I’m trying to decide on the best way to cook crow. Members of the state Senate passed the resolution on Wednesday, and those in the House passed it yesterday. Both votes were unanimous. I was also…
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Is Virginia ready to apologize for lynching?
I applaud the efforts of Sen. Jennifer L. McClellan and others to pass a lynching resolution in this year’s General Assembly, but I’m not optimistic about their chances. McClellan, a Democrat, represents portions of the Richmond area in the Virginia Senate. She is also chair of the state’s Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Commission and…
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Thank you, Mr. Baxley
I was saddened to learn last week of the passing of Henry Baxley Jr. Mr. Baxley died at his home in the Marshall area of Fauquier County. He was 88. His funeral will be held this afternoon. His obituary, posted at Fauquier Now, is here. I will always be grateful to Henry for the help…
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New evidence of a change in how Thompson case is seen
I was delighted to learn recently that an essay I wrote has been published on a website I’ve long admired. The website, Racial Terror: Lynching in Virginia, 1877-1927, is the creation of Gianluca DeFazio, an assistant professor in the Justice Studies Department at James Madison University in Harrisonburg. The site is a comprehensive, easy-to-use database,…
Author & Lecturer
Jim Hall 