Dallas commemorates lynching victim through monument

Dallas, Texas - The Dallas City Council has officially greenlit the site for a monument commemorating the lynching of William Allen Taylor, an African American man who was killed 139 years ago, Dallas Metro News reported.

Historical documents indicate that Taylor's murder took place on the west bank of the Trinity River, close to the current location of the Commerce Street bridge in downtown Dallas. The monument is slated to be installed on city property at the historical site, a gesture reflecting the community's evolving acknowledgment of the incident as an unjust killing.

Ed Gray, a representative from the Dallas County Justice Initiative, has been a leading advocate in the effort to erect this and other monuments memorializing lynching victims in Dallas.

“Dallas is a great city but it also has a history in which we have not come to terms with racism and also with lynching,” Gray said.

He spoke to the Dallas City Council on Wednesday.

“We will recognize for the first time, for the first time, on the banks of the Trinity River where a man was executed, was lynched. But we do this not out of hatred. We do this not out of fear. But we do this out of love because this brings Dallas closer together,” Gray said.

Dallas City Council Member Omar Narvaez, who represents the location for the monument, praised the effort to remember this event.

"We have to remember our history and know what happened in the past. So, when it's done we will make sure everybody is invited to the ribbon cutting and service so we can all honor Mr. Taylor," Narvaez said.

Ed Gray stated that the upcoming monument is currently in production by the Montgomery Equal Justice Initiative. The design will be akin to a plaque that was revealed in July at the Old Red Courthouse in Downtown Dallas. This plaque commemorates Allen Brooks, who was thrown out of a window in 1910 without any formal conviction. Another monument exists on Main Street, marking the spot where Brooks was subsequently lynched by a mob.

In addition to these, Gray mentioned that a separate marker will be set up at Martyrs Park on Elm Street in Downtown Dallas to honor four other individuals who were lynched in the area.

A 2018 report by the SMU Campus Daily newspaper provided historical context, noting that between 1877 and 1950, 28 people were lynched or hanged in Dallas County. Nineteen of those victims were African Americans.

Credit: Dallas Metro News, NBC DFW