Early in the 2017-2018 school year, a group at The Exploris School, the Drum Majors for Social Justice, began to research Wake County's only documented lynching and soon learned of the work of the Equal Justice Initiative. (See the "Equal Justice Initiative" page.) The Equal Justice Initiative hopes to collect a jar of soil from all the recorded lynching sites in the US to put into a museum. The Drum Majors took on this goal of collecting soil from the site of the lynching, joining with students from Middle Creek High School. In the 2018-2019 school year, their work has been taken on by new students. The 2019-2020 students made many new discoveries in the NC Archives, through interviews in Rolesville, and specific research on KKK in Raleigh in 1918. The Wake County Community Remembrance Project has come out of these students' research. These community leaders have broadened the coalition in the search for reconciliation. The group continues to seek a historical marker near the site of the lynching of George Taylor, and hope to bring home Wake's steel monument as a reminder of our duty to preserve our justice system. Below is the timeline of the Exploris students' work in collaboration with many, many partners.

2017-2018 SCHOOL YEAR

October, 2017: A friend contacted an Exploris teacher, Ms. Shannon Hardy, and recommended that she talk to the Drum Majors for Social Justice about The National Memorial for Peace and Justice. They watched multiple videos about lynching in America and the plans for the memorial. They began investigating the only recorded lynching in Wake County (George Taylor in Rolesville NC) with help from Lynching in America, Strange Fruit and Spanish Moss, and The Red Record. From there, they attempted to find the site of the Roger's home using property deeds because they knew from the article listed on The Red Record, the lynching was in sight of the home.

November 5, 2017: The ninety-ninth anniversary of the lynching. The Drum Majors for Justice continued to investigate George Taylor's story.

December 21, 2017: Some of the group met at the Little House Museum where Ms. Marcellin-Little filled them in with what she knew and gave them many newspapers and documents from the time (see these documents on the "Resources" page). They realized the deeds that they had found were incorrect.

Late February, 2018: Ms. Marcellin-Little and Ms. Hardy get in touch with Ms. Mary Perry, who thinks she knows where George Taylor was lynched based on stories her grandfather used to tell her.

March 2, 2018: The Drum Majors met Ms. Mary Perry in a Mcdonald's to interview her then they followed her to the site of the lynching. It was across the street from the place they suspected as site of Taylor's lynching.

March, 2018: The owner of the land is reluctant to release his name or allow soil to be taken from his land for EJI.

March 14, 2018: David Crabtree interviews some of the Exploris students for WRAL.

March 15, 2018: The Drum Majors interview Mr. James Dupree at the Little House Museum in Rolesville. Mr. Dupree is the grandson of Ruby Rogers, the woman who claimed George Taylor assaulted her. Mr. Dupree told them about growing up with Mrs. Rogers. She was a bad cook but a wonderful, kind grandmother.

March 22, 2018: The Drum Majors met a high school class of Middle Creek who have been investigating George Taylor's story. Both classes shared all of their knowledge on the story, and thoughts for future action.

April, 2018: Several Drum Majors hosted a panel discussion and viewing of the short film, The Red Cape. The Red Cape is about the 1898 Wilmington Race Massacre, the only coup d'etat in American History.

May 15, 2018: Some of the Drum Majors and Middle Creek students appear in front of the Wake County Board of Education and ask that all of North Carolina's history be taught in Wake County schools.

Middle Creek: Destinee' Eaton and Tashaima Person (1:25:19 - 1:28:04)

https://youtu.be/SXd1tStPsn0?t=5105

Exploris 8th Graders (Drum Majors): Sophia Norris, Kerrie Noble, Juliana Roseland, Campbell White, Ethan Harris, and Hannah Wilson (1:33:14-1:37:52)

https://youtu.be/SXd1tStPsn0?t=5590

2018-2019 School Year

June 28, 2018: The first meeting of the Wake County Truth and Reconciliation Committee is held in the Little House Museum in Rolesville, NC. Some Exploris students, and community members attend to discuss a plan of action for a memorial for George Taylor.

August 2, 2018: The Wake County Truth and Reconciliation Committee meets again to draft a citizen's promise to speak our against racism. We continue to contact community members hoping that they can join us. Members included students from Raleigh Charter High School, Exploris, Middle Creek High School, Rolesville Mayor Frank Eagles, and a member from the Governor's office and local religious leaders.

September 6, 2018: The Truth and Reconciliation Committee meets again at the Everett, Gaskins, and Hancock Law Firm. This time, they finalize the Citizens Promise which can be seen on the 100th Anniversary page.

October 4, 2018: Students and community leaders concur on Citizen Promise (Draft #8 without graphics), discuss images for the campaign, social media, news media, and logistics for soil collection.

October 29, 2018: N&O Article "A black man was lynched near Rolesville in 1918. Now Wake students are honoring him."

October 30, 2018: The soil collection and social media campaign, using the hashtag #RememberGeorgeTaylor, kick off.

November 5, 2018: 100th anniversary of the lynching of George Taylor.

November 7, 2018: Drum Major Jo Morales attends a Wake County Commissioners meeting with students from Middle Creek High School, and speaks about what happened to George Taylor.

November 20, 2018: Drum Major, Lily Kane, speaks to the Raleigh City Council about the soil collection and Citizen's Promise.

Tuesday, January 29, 2019: N&O "How many African Americans were lynched in NC?"

Tuesday, January 29, 2019: Dr. Vernie Davis facilitates a workshop for students and professors at Guilford College. The work involves retelling of 1979 Greensboro Massacre from survivors and their telling of reconciliation process juxtaposed to 8th grade student work around George Taylor lynching. Four students represent Exploris.

Wednesday, January 23, 2019: Exploris students visit Campbell Law School to participate in a discussion about the trip to Montgomery, Alabama.

2018-2020 School Year

November 2019 Students visited with Reverend Mary Walker and members of New Bethel Church to begin to chronicle elder's memories.

November 2019 A delegation of past student historians traveled to the Vatican City to meet with Pope Frances and share their research with students from all over the world at the Design for Change Global Summit. Dec. 10, 2019, NC Catholics "Feel, imagine, do and share: Four steps propel local students to the Vatican"

December 2019 Students become very interested in the role of Thomas Dixon in KKK while serving as the Wake County Clerk of Courts in 1918. Dixon was President Wilson's roommate at Johns Hopkins University, and it seems he introduced President Wilson to NC Newspaper mogel and future Secretary of Navy, Josephus Daniels. Thomas Dixon's book, The Clansman: A Historical Romance of the Ku Klux Klan (1905) then turned into the 1915 movie "The Birth of a Nation." President Wilson featuring his friend's movie as the first movie played in the White House.

January-February 2020 The students made numerous trips to NC Archives discovering little on George Taylor, but Governor Bickett's carefully documented efforts to end Winston Salem's mob violence in late November 2018. (See resources.)

March 13, 2020 Students research efforts were cut short as we moved to remote learning (home stay).