Reckoning With Racist ‘Lynch Law’ and Rape Charges, a Century Later

States Like Virginia Are Reexamining Long-Ago Cases on the Path Toward Redress and Redemption

This piece publishes alongside the Zócalo/Mellon Foundation program “How Does Confronting Our History Build a Better Future?” Read a summary of the event and watch the discussion here.

On July 12, 1898 John Henry James’ body, riddled with bullets, hanged from a locust tree. The Virginia man had been in the custody of the Albemarle County sheriff, awaiting grand jury action on a rape allegation, when a mob of 150 people kidnapped and killed him.

James, the story went, sexually assaulted one Julia Hotopp. (I belabor …

Artist and Monument Lab Co-Founder Ken Lum

Sometimes I Also Need to Remember. I’m Not, Like, an Elephant

Ken Lum is the chair of fine arts at the University of Pennsylvania’s Weitzman School of Design and co-founder of the Monument Lab. Before joining Zócalo at the Lorraine Motel …

FirstRepair executive director Robin Rue Simmons

My Double Dutch Group Is a Sisterhood

Robin Rue Simmons is the founder and executive director of the nonprofit First Repair, which promotes local reparations policies around the country to help Black Americans secure financial redress. Before …

Rhetoric Professor Andre E. Johnson

Everything I Do Is Grounded in My Faith

Andre E. Johnson is the Benjamin W. Rawlins Professor of Communication at the University of Memphis. Before joining Zócalo at the Lorraine Motel in Memphis for “Why Isn’t Remembering Enough …

Could a Truth Commission Unite America? | Zocalo Public Square • Arizona State University • Smithsonian

Could a Truth Commission Unite America?

How Fractured Nations and Communities Reckon with History and Move Toward Repair

Can democracy stand the test of time? Many factors have triggered the deep schism in American politics today. But a root cause of our faltering democracy may be our failure …

Can We Reimagine Juvenile Justice for Gen Z? | Zocalo Public Square • Arizona State University • Smithsonian

Can We Reimagine Juvenile Justice for Gen Z?

Emerging Into Adulthood Is Hard for Everyone. Prison Makes It Nearly Impossible

“Emerging adult” is a new phrase for many of us, and a useful term for understanding a stage of human development that is too often overlooked. People between the ages …