Moore's Ford Memorial Committee Records, 1968-2011, bulk 1997-2008

Summary

Creator:
Rusk, Richard Geary and Moore's Ford Memorial Committee
Date:
1968-2011, bulk 1997-2008
Extent:
39 Linear Feet (39 boxes, 5.04 gigabytes)
Language:
English
Preferred citation:

Moore's Ford Memorial Committee Records. Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies, University of Georgia Libraries, Athens, Georgia, 30602-1641.

Background

Scope and content:

The Moore's Ford Memorial Committee Records consist of the working documents, photographs, audiovisual recordings, and digital media held by the various members of the committee. At present the collection consists of committee secretary Richard Rusk's meeting notes and agendas, student scholarship files, investigation reports, event fliers, Southern Truth and Reconciliation (STAR) files, reports on the victims of other lynchings in the Walton-Oconee-Clarke tri-county area, Rusk's newspaper column articles, MFMC financial reports, correspondence, photographs, and audiovisual recordings.

Biographical / historical:

On July 25, 1946, two young African American couples, George and Mae Murray Dorsey and Roger and Dorothy Malcolm, were murdered by a lynch mob at the Moore's Ford Bridge in Walton County, Georgia, east of Atlanta. The murderers, estimated to have been roughly 15 white men, were never prosecuted and have since died.

The Moore's Ford Memorial Committee (MFMC) was established in 1997 to commemorate and reconcile the historical trauma of the 1946 Moore's Ford lynching. The group's mission was to ensure that the victims of the crime were not forgotten and to foster healing and reconciliation between white and Black residents of Walton, Oconee, and Clarke Counties. The committee held a military memorial service for Private First Class George Dorsey, a veteran of World War II; restored two local cemeteries that hold the grave sites of lynching victims; erected a historical marker near the Moore's Ford bridge to honor the lives of the victims; and established a scholarship for area high school students.

The Southern Truth and Reconciliation (STAR) Committee was founded in 2003 to partner with communities to adapt the truth and reconciliation process to local needs. The committee partnered with the Moore's Ford Memorial Committee in reconciliation efforts in Walton County. This collection includes STAR's files and correspondences with the Moore's Ford Memorial Committee.

Processing information:

The preservation of these records and creation of the finding aid were accomplished by University of Georgia students Lacy Hamilton and Maria Zayas. The project was funded by the Moore's Ford Memorial Committee.

Arrangement:

The Moore's Ford Memorial Committee Records are organized by committee member. At present, the only member's records available are those of MFMC founder and secretary Richard Rusk.

Access and use restrictions

Restrictions:

This collection is open for research.

This collection contains digital files. To access these files, please request the folders you would like through the finding aid using your research account. An archivist will be in contact with you to explain how to access the files. Please note that not all file formats are currently supported by the library for research use.

This collection contains audiovisual materials. Reference copies of the audiovisual recordings are available upon request. Research requests will be filled as soon as possible and will be dependent upon the condition of the recordings.

Restricted materials: Series 1. Richard Rusk Files contains student records protected by the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). Such files are closed for 75 years from the date of creation.

Terms of access:

Before material from collections at the Richard B. Russell Library may be quoted in print, or otherwise reproduced, in whole or in part, in any publication, permission must be obtained from (1) the owner of the physical property, and (2) the holder of the copyright. It is the particular responsibility of the researcher to obtain both sets of permissions. Persons wishing to quote from materials in the Russell Library collection should consult the Director. Reproduction of any item must contain a complete citation to the original.

Preferred citation:

Moore's Ford Memorial Committee Records. Richard B. Russell Library for Political Research and Studies, University of Georgia Libraries, Athens, Georgia, 30602-1641.