Charles Hale Historical Marker Dedication

422 East Crogan Street,Lawrenceville GA 30046

15 January, 2022

Description

Dedication of a historical marker honoring the memory of Charles Hale, an African American resident of Gwinnett County lynched in 1911. The Gwinnett Remembrance Coalition, in partnership with the City of Lawrenceville, Gwinnett County, the Gwinnett Historical Restoration & Preservation Board, and the Equal Justice Initiative of Montgomery, Alabama, will dedicate a historical marker honoring the memory of Charles Hale. Mr. Hale, an African American resident of Gwinnett County, was lynched in 1911 in Lawrenceville Square. The Historical Marker Dedication Ceremony will take place on Saturday, January 15, 2022, from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm in Lawrenceville. The event will include a memorial service, a short procession, a dedication ceremony, and a post-event gathering. Masks will be required. The memorial service will take place at New Jerusalem Baptist Church, located at 422 East Crogan Street. This service will include the announcement by an EJI representative of the winners of a racial justice essay contest for students in Gwinnett County public high schools. Following the service, there will be a short procession to the marker site at the corner of West Pike and Perry Streets, along the west side of the square, where the historical marker will be dedicated to Mr. Hale’s memory. Following the dedication, there will be an informal gathering at the Lawrenceville Arts Center, located at 125 North Clayton Street. This ceremony follows a June 2021 event in which soil was collected near the spot where Mr. Hale was lynched. Jars containing this soil will be displayed in Gwinnett County and at EJI’s Legacy Museum in Montgomery. The Gwinnett Remembrance Coalition is a diverse group of concerned Gwinnett residents with strong African American leadership who have come together with a shared purpose — to memorialize local victims of racial terror lynchings and to acknowledge, remember, and educate the community about the county’s violent and racist past.