Alabama Memorial Confronts America’s Legacy of Lynching

Here’s what you’ll find on today’s show:

— The National Memorial For Peace And Justice opens in Montgomery, Alabama today. The monument, conceived by the Equal Justice Initiative, intends to memorialize the more than 4,000 known victims of lynching in this country. The project’s precursor was a body of research collected by the E.J.I. which uncovered thousands of instances of lynchings that had not previously been documented. The research culminated in a 2015 report entitled “Lynching in America: Confronting the Legacy of Racial Terror,” which unearthed incidents of hangings and other brutal measures of “racial terror” in twelve different states. Staff members of the Institute have commemorated their work by visiting hundreds of sites of historical lynchings, collecting soil, and displaying public markers of where the murders occurred.

— In Colorado, teachers are planning to walk out on Friday to protest education funding and teacher salaries. But two GOP state lawmakers have come up with a prospective response to the planned strike, making it illegal. Senate Bill 264 – titled, Prohibit Public School Teacher Strikes – was introduced last week, and prohibits public school teachers and organizers from directly or indirectly participating in a strike against any public school employer. Failure to comply could result in fines, or even jail time. In Arizona, teachers elected to strike last week after rejecting an offer from Governor Doug Ducey that would have increased teacher salaries by 20% over the next two years. The strikes, which begin today, are representative of a larger movement by educators to pressure lawmakers into supporting schools with greater funding.

— After searching for more than 40 years, authorities believe they have identified the notorious Golden State Killer. The suspect, ex-cop Joseph James DeAngelo, 72, is believed to be the infamous serial murderer who killed a dozen people and raped at least 50 individuals in the ’70s and ’80s. The violent spree terrorized California residents, with details of the sadistic and ruthless nature of these attacks still remnant in the present consciousness of these communities. The perpetrator has alternately been called the “East Area Rapist” and “The Original Night Stalker,” reflecting his position in California lore while he went unidentified for decades.

— The suspect in the deadly van rampage in Toronto earlier this week has been charged with first degree murder for the deaths of ten people, killed after he plowed into them on a crowded sidewalk. Toronto Police are still looking into motivations for Alek Minassian’sactions, which includes scouring his social media pages for clues. A cryptic message posted by Minassian moments before the attack praised the deadly gunman who killed six people in Isla Vista, California in 2014, and it spoke of an “Incel Rebellion.” Incel comes from the phrase “involuntary celibacy.” The self-ascribed term is used by various online communities, and some of the more fringe elements can espouse a violent form of misogyny.