Donate
Search wpr.org
Changes coming May 20. New Schedules and more. Learn more -->

COMIC: The roadside marker unlocking a forgotten civil rights murder

By Connie Hanzhang Jin and Laura Sullivan

Historical markers are an iconic part of the American landscape. They appear by the sides of roads, in towns, at rest areas and even in the middle of nowhere.

If you drive down U.S. 11, a couple of miles past Gadsden, Ala., you’ll find a marker about the life and death of William Lewis Moore, who was murdered on a civil rights protest walk. The silence around Moore’s murder bothered one man for years, until he started a campaign to put up a marker about it.

This comic is part of a yearlong

Stay informed on the latest news

Sign up for WPR’s email newsletter.

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
investigation by NPR into the fractured and confusing landscape of historical markers in America.Photo references: Press & Sun-Bulletin via AP, Laura Sullivan/NPR (2), Bettmann Archive/Getty Images (2), Frank Rockstroh/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images, Gado/Getty Images, Afro American Newspapers/Gado/Getty Images, Laura Sullivan/NPR, AP, Library of Congress, Laura Sullivan/NPRThis comic was written and illustrated by Connie Hanzhang Jin, based on reporting by Laura Sullivan and Connie Hanzhang Jin. It was edited by Emily Bogle and Robert Little, with copy editing by Preeti Aroon.
Copyright 2024 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

© Copyright 2024 by NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

Related Stories