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Officials in Grayson County, Texas have approved a historical marker that will honor Black businesses destroyed during the 1930 Sherman Riots.
“Overwhelmed, elated, and just truly ecstatic,” Texas Historical Marker of Sherman Riot Committee Member Yolanda Boyd told News 12 in Texas.
“This day today is a historical day. Truly, truly happy for Grayson County, that we’ve moved forward, that we are overcoming our past."
Nearly a century ago, a Black man named George Hughes in Sherman, Texas was accused of rape and subsequently lynched. Then, a violent mob burned down the nearby courthouse and Black business district.
“Truly, truly happy for Grayson County, that we’ve moved forward, that we are overcoming our past,” Sherman Mayor David Plyer told the Herald Democrat.
"We are working on an effort to remember those businesses and remember those that were impacted by that loss in another location."
With the support of local officials, the application for a historical marker will move from Grayson County to the Texas Historical Commission. The application is due November 15.
While the historical marker has been approved with the support of local leaders, it is one step on a long road toward memorializing the lives lost in race riots lost during the 20th century. Unfortunately, Sherman, Tulsa and Newark are just a few cities on a long list of places that have endured such tragedy.
"It’s something that the community has asked for, and again the community leadership felt like it was appropriate," Grayson County Judge Bill Magers told News 12.
“In time, we’ll all heal, as a people, as a land, as a county, and if we will continue to allow God to govern us, that at the end of the day, we’ll all stand as one," Boyd added.
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