Quilt that honors lynching victims unveiled at branch of Alachua County Library District

The unveiling of a quilt honoring lynching victims in Alachua County took place Friday morning.

Held at the Waldo branch of the Alachua County Library District just northeast of Gainesville, the unveiled quilt honors six lynching victims from the Waldo, Hawthorne, Rochelle and Campville areas of north central Florida. The quilt was a project of the Alachua County Community Remembrance Project (AACRP).

The six lynching victims honored are:

• An unknown Black man who died Dec. 5, 1889, when a white mob broke into jail in Waldo, abducted him and accused him of theft, whipped him and then shot him to death.

• An unknown Black child who died Sept. 6, 1892, who was suspected of arson and hung by a white mob from the beam of a storage building in Waldo.

• Charles Wiley on Jan. 12, 1894, in Rochelle, who was shot and wounded by a white man. He went to a nearby house to lie down and a group of white men riddled his body with buckshot and set his bed on fire.

• Ellis Washington, who died Sept. 25, 1912, was shot dead at home by a posse who accused him of harboring a suspect in the murder of the Waldo town marshal.

• Henry White, who died Dec. 13, 1913, was hung by a white mob for visiting a white woman. When the rope broke, his body was riddled with bullets. White had committed no crime.

• George Buddington was jailed in Waldo Dec. 27, 1926, for allegedly threatening a white woman. During the night, a white mob abducted him from jail. His body was found with gunshot wounds to the head and torso south of town.

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No one was held accountable for any of these racial lynchings, officials say.

According to ACCRP, during the Reconstruction era between 1865 and 1877, free Black people bought their own land to establish farms, churches, schools and local businesses. Throughout the era, in an effort to maintain their racial hierarchy, white people attacked Black people for asserting their rights.

The quilt represents reconciliation, justice, unity and hope, officials say, and it features a quote that states “We remember so we can recover, restore and fight to claim a different future.”

The quilt was created to remember the lives of the victims, and the help received from the community to help honor the victims is appreciated, said the Rev. Mary Jackson, pastor of Greater Bell Community Church in Brooker and chair of the Waldo quilt subcommittee.

She also thanked subcommittee members who were present at the ceremony - Kerry Dowd, William Jackson, Tea Adams, Monique Taylor, Douglas Green, James McNeil and Dawn Beachy.

"This was created by all of us," Jackson said. "Thank you for helping me and making this easier to help the victims. We hope things go well and get better. That's what we hope for and pray for and continue to live for."

Shaney Livingston, director of the Alachua County Library District, shared a few words about the project.

"The quilt is a mere symbol of never forgetting the victims of violence," Livingston said.

Kim Worley, city manager of Waldo, said hate must be removed from society.

"Those who do not learn history are doomed to repeat it," Worley said. "Hate is intolerable and it has no right to be in this society. If they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love.”

Alachua County Commissioner Charles Chestnut IV talked about the history of ACCRP, and said he is proud of those involved with the project.

There were quilts from each region of Alachua County showcased at the recent soil collection jar exhibit, Chestnut said.

“They have done an excellent job,” Chestnut said. “Each quilt is different and unique.”

Dowd, manager of the Waldo Library, also spoke during the unveiling.

"It's really special to have the quilt installed at a library," Dowd said. "It is very exciting to share with the community and educate the community about the past to have a brighter future."

Green, who grew up in the Monteocha community and moved to Waldo four years ago, said he was happy to be a part of it so he could learn more about his surroundings.

“It was a great learning process for me,” Green said. “I was able to learn about what took place in our community. I want us to grow from it.”

This article originally appeared on The Gainesville Sun: Lynching victims memorialized in quilt unveiled at library in Waldo