I am a Innocent Man: the Ed Johnson Story
On March 19th, we had the opportunity as a class to go listen to a presentation on the lynching of Ed Johnson. This event took place at the local Walnut Street Bridge, and its spatial relevance hits home for many community members in the Chattanooga area. The program began with a documentary about the event by filmmaker Linda Duvoisin, introduced by co-chair of the Ed Johnson Project, LaFrederick Thirkill.
|
The documentary began with the trail of Ed Johnson. He was on trial as an easy scapegoat for a crime he had no part in, with a jury that wanted to find him guilty. His family was not allowed in the courtroom, the jury was comprised entirely of white males, and a number of the jurors had vocally expressed threats toward Ed during the trial itself. He was quickly found guilty, but local lawyers Hutchins and Parden decided to take on the case pro-bono and appealed the verdict. This appeal was denied by the local court. Hutchins and Parden, fearing for their safety because of their involvement in the case, fled Tennessee, and appealed the decision to the US Supreme Court. In the process of this, Noah Parden became the first African American lead lawyer to present a case before the Supreme Court.
"God bless you all, I'm a innocent man" |
The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Ed Johnson, and granted a stay of execution that was the punishment handed down by the Tennessee jury. In the words of Supreme Court Justice John Marshall Harlan, “our constitution is colorblind”. This decision by the Supreme Court is the first instance in American history of the Supreme Court interfering with a state criminal court. The decision, however, was ignored by the people of Chattanooga. A lynch mob formed soon after, and dragged Ed Johnson down to the Walnut Street Bridge, where he was beaten, hanged, and shot over 50 times. On the bridge, he was asked if he had any last words, and he replied “God bless you all, I’m a innocent man”. Locally, the lynching was blamed on the Supreme Court for their involvement in local affairs, and the Supreme Court was angry, and worried that the rule of law was in danger. Unfortunately, there was no more that they could do.
|
The documentary was followed by an original ballad written by a local artist, and performed by the writer and two other local musicians. The verses of the song followed the story of Ed Johnson, and the chorus was sung to the words of Ed’s final words before being murdered. After this, LaFrederick Thirkill spoke about the path that led him to Ed Johnson, and the formation of the Ed Johnson Project. He spoke of a local cemetery, Pleasant Gardens Cemetery, where Ed and many other influential African Americans are buried. It was here where Thirkill met a man named Leroy Phillips, who had been following the story of Ed Johnson for years already at that point. Through talking with Phillips and cleaning up the cemetery, Thirkill learned more and more about the stories hidden in those tombstones, and developed a passion for the dark history of Chattanooga regarding Ed Johnson.
Then, Eric Atkins and Mariann Martins, members of the committee, came up to talk about the Ed Johnson Project as it exists today. They spoke about the goals of the project, which include an Ed Johnson memorial scholarship, the support and showing of the documentary we watched, and the erecting of a memorial to the event at the south end of the Walnut Street Bridge. Next, mayor Andy Burke spoke about the importance of the memorial in the history of Chattanooga, especially regarding its location, and thanked the entire team for their persistent work in making this a reality. Then, the finalist for the art installation at the memorial was announced, Jerome Meadows, who had a few words to say about his part in the realization of this memorial. He thanked the team for their hard work and for the opportunity to be a part of something so important and impactful in the city’s history. He also shared an original poem, and invited the audience to join in with the words “we see Ed Johnson walking” at the end of each stanza. LaFrederick Thirkill rounded off the presentation with his closing remarks. He thanked the audience for coming out and showing support for the project, and spoke briefly about a play based on the events titled “Dead Innocent: the Ed Johnson Story”, which performs May 18-20th, 2018.
Then, Eric Atkins and Mariann Martins, members of the committee, came up to talk about the Ed Johnson Project as it exists today. They spoke about the goals of the project, which include an Ed Johnson memorial scholarship, the support and showing of the documentary we watched, and the erecting of a memorial to the event at the south end of the Walnut Street Bridge. Next, mayor Andy Burke spoke about the importance of the memorial in the history of Chattanooga, especially regarding its location, and thanked the entire team for their persistent work in making this a reality. Then, the finalist for the art installation at the memorial was announced, Jerome Meadows, who had a few words to say about his part in the realization of this memorial. He thanked the team for their hard work and for the opportunity to be a part of something so important and impactful in the city’s history. He also shared an original poem, and invited the audience to join in with the words “we see Ed Johnson walking” at the end of each stanza. LaFrederick Thirkill rounded off the presentation with his closing remarks. He thanked the audience for coming out and showing support for the project, and spoke briefly about a play based on the events titled “Dead Innocent: the Ed Johnson Story”, which performs May 18-20th, 2018.
The memorial is set to be completed in Spring of 2019. More information and details about the project available online at www.edjohnsonproject.com