MOUNT STERLING, Ky. (LEX 18) — People in Mount Sterling gathered on Saturday to unveil a historical marker honoring James Mitchell, a Black man who was lynched at 24-year-old by a mob on June 14, 1882.
Valerie Scott, a board member with the Montgomery County Remembrance Project for James Mitchell, helped lead the effort to place the marker in Montgomery County.
"Because, when he was lynched, it was a gang of White people. Now you see a gang of diversity," Scott said.
"It's just a blessing, because we need to remember him. We need to remember the injustice. Today, I feel like he is getting his justice," she added.
Scott told LEX 18 that openly discussing history is the only way to make sure it is never forgotten.
"Until we talk about it and feel comfortable about talking about it, that's how it's going to make a difference," sje said.
Jay Scott, a Montgomery County community leader, researched Mitchell's life and found a personal connection to the story.
"James Mitchell... is me... He is a man," Scott said.
"Just like me, I could have been taken from my job, accused of something, lynched, and nothing could of happened," Scott added.
Officials with the Montgomery County Remembrance Project worked on the marker for years. They also helped get soil from the lynching site placed in the Equal Justice Initiative Legacy Museum in Montgomery, Alabama.
"We're going to make sure that we, the community, do all we can to say that Black lives forever... Forever matters," Scott said.
