Soil Collection
Through archival research and community interviews, student researchers identified the location of George Taylor’s lynching.
November 7, 2018: Students met with local elected leaders and historians.
Students Contacted Landowners.
Students reached out to the present-day landowners at the site of the lynching though the family did not own the property at the time of the lynching. The owners confirmed that they had heard that this event had occurred on their property and initially invited the students to the property to conduct the soil collection--an essential part of the Equal Justice Initiative’s Community Remembrance Project.
And then the family had Sunday dinner…
Extended family members decided to rescind the offer to visit the property and conduct the soil collection as they worried that a connection with this history would negatively impact the value of the property.
November 7, 2018: Students met with Wake County Commissioners.
Students Met with Elected Officials.
Students visited Rolesville Town Hall to present their findings to the community and discuss “next steps.” A student noted that since people from all over Wake County participated in the lynching of George Taylor, we could collect soil from locations all over Wake County as a symbol of our whole community’s commitment to recognizing this history.
In the end, students received small donations of soil from over 300 Wake County residents, schools, businesses, and faith-based institutions. That soil is now on display at the Legacy Museum in Montgomery, Alabama. Small jars of the soil were presented to local civic leaders including the 2019 Wake County Board of Commissioners, the Wake County School Board, the Town of Rolesville Commissioners, and former Mayor of Rolesville, Frank Eagles, in hopes that they serve as powerful reminders of what it looks like when justice is not served in our community. On September 7, 2024 small jars of the soil were also presented to members of George Taylor’s family.