Colfax, La. - Today, the Colfax Memorial Organization held a dedication ceremony for the newly constructed memorial, honoring the victims of the Colfax Massacre. The event was led by Rev. Avery L. Hamilton and C. Dean Woods, the two descendants of the victims of the massacre, one from the perpetrator and the other from the first victim who came together to bring this memorial to life. The event featured a keynote from Chuck Lane, the author of The Day Freedom Died.
The memorial dedication was performed by Governor John Bel Edwards, who released a statement recognizing the significance of the new memorial. “With this new memorial honoring the Colfax Massacre, the names of those lost in the horrific massacre 150 years ago will be forever etched in Louisiana’s history,” he said. “The previous marker failed to tell the full story, and now, the memorial will serve as a powerful reminder of our nation’s ongoing struggle for racial justice. I am so proud of the work of the Colfax Memorial Organization and what they have done to recognize the victims of this deadly and horrific attack and to help move our community forward toward a more equitable future.”
The new memorial provides a comprehensive narrative of the events leading up to the massacre, the events of that fateful Easter Sunday in 1873, and the aftermath of the massacre, including the impact of the resulting Supreme Court decision on Black families for the next century. The granite memorial will forever bear the names of the men who died or were injured during the massacre.
The Colfax Massacre was a violent and deadly event that occurred in Louisiana in 1873. It was part of a broader wave of white supremacist violence that occurred in the South during the Reconstruction Era. On April 13, a mob of armed white men attacked the courthouse in Colfax, where a group of Black men had gathered to protect their right to vote. The white mob overpowered the Black defenders, killing as many as 80 people, most of whom were Black. The massacre had a profound impact on the history of Louisiana and the country as a whole, and it remains an important event in the ongoing struggle for racial justice in the United States.
The Colfax Memorial Organization has been working for years to create a new memorial that would honor the massacre's victims and provide a more comprehensive understanding of the events that led to it. The new memorial was created with input from descendants of both the victims and perpetrators of the massacre, and it represents a significant step forward in recognizing the impact of this tragic event on the history of Louisiana and the nation.
