Michael Anthony Donald ( born July 24, 1961 - March 21, 1981 ) [1] is a young African American who was brutally murdered on March 21, 1981 in Mobile , Alabama by two members of the Ku Klux Klan and lynched. It is considered the last confirmed case of lynching a black man in the United States [2] .
| Michael Anthony Donald | |
|---|---|
| Michael Anthony Donald | |
 Michael Donald in 1980 | |
| Date of Birth | |
| Place of Birth | |
| Date of death | |
| Place of death | |
| A country | |
| Occupation | student |
| Father | David donald |
| Mother | Bello May Donald |
Content
Biography
The early years
Michael Donald was born July 24, 1961 in the family of Bello May Donald and David Donald. Michael was the seventh and youngest child in the family. Shortly after birth, his father left the family and his mother raised him alone. Michael grew up in the city of Mobile, he studied well at school and according to his mother never got into trouble [3] . He attended Murphy High School, which he graduated in 1979 [4] . After leaving school, the young man entered the college of Carver State Technical College, where he played for the college basketball team. He was in good standing in society, met with a girl, and worked in the post office in his spare time. As a student, Donald continued to live in his house with his mother [5] .
Death
On the evening of March 20, 1981, Michael left the house for shopping and went missing. His body was found beaten and hanged the next morning on a tree in front of the house where Benny Jack Hayes, the regional leader of United Klans of America Inc. , lived . (UKA) , one of the largest among the Ku Klux Klan organizations [6] . Despite the fact that there were immediately suspicions that the guy had been lynched by representatives of the clan, the investigation to solve the murder immediately came to a standstill. Three suspects were arrested and soon released. Police said the motive for the murder was Donald’s involvement in the drug trade, although relatives and friends of the deceased denied the fact that Donald was dealing with drugs [3] .
Investigation
The investigation was resumed after a protest march against the tyranny of police officials organized by Michael Donald’s relatives. Picket came to support the famous black rights activist Jesse Jackson . After a public outcry caused by the march of many thousands, the events in Mobile gained national fame. In 1983, two members of the Ku Klux Klan, James Knowles, and the son of Benny Hayes, 29-year-old Henry Francis Hayes, were arrested based on witness testimony. Knowles could not stand the pressure and made a deal with justice [3] . He confessed to the murder of Donald, spoke in detail about how events unfolded on the evening of March 20, 1981, and told the details of the abduction and murder of Donald. Knowles testified against Henry Hayes, on the basis of which he was charged with murder [7] [8] .
Michael Donald did not know his killers and was randomly selected as a victim in revenge for the possible release of African-American Josephus Anderson, who was tried in the spring of 1981 in the city of Mobile for the murder of a policeman [9] . Anderson was close to making excuses and Benny Hayes ordered the murder of a black man in revenge. [10] . In 1984, Henry Hayes was sentenced to death [11] , James Knowles received life imprisonment due to cooperation with the investigation. Knowles was only 17 years old at the time of the murder. [12]
Consequences
The murder of Donald had fatal consequences for the organization of the Ku Klux Klan in Alabama. The mother of the deceased, Bello Donald, in 1984 [13] sued the leaders of United Klans of America Inc. (UKA) and in 1987 won it. The court ordered the payment of $ 7,000,000 to the family of the deceased and the transfer of various property to their possession, which led to the fact that the majority of its members left the organization [14] . After the trial, Benny Hayes was charged with complicity in the murder of Michael Donald, but because of his illness, his trial was constantly adjourned. Benny Hayes died in 1993 before being sentenced. [15] The last leader of the organization, Robert Shelton, admitted in 1994 that the organization was in complete decline. [16] Michael Donald's assassin, Henry Francis Hayes, was executed on June 6, 1997. [17]
Memory
In 2006, on the 25th anniversary of the death of the young man, Herdon Avenue was renamed, on which he was killed, it was officially called Michael Donald Avenue in memory of his death [18] .
The murder of Donald was the reason for writing some scientific and artistic works. Texas politician Molly Ivins wrote an essay about the Donald family [19] . National Geographic has released an investigation into the death of Donald in his Ku Klux Klan [20] .
Notes
- ↑ Michael Anthony Donald .
- ↑ The 'Last Lynching': How Far Have Have We Come? October 13, 2008 .
- ↑ 1 2 3 The Woman Who Beat The Klan. Published: November 1, 1987 .
- ↑ 30 Years Later: The legacy of Michael Donald and the last lynching in the United States. August 31, 2015 .
- ↑ [ http://articles.latimes.com/1989-12-03/magazine/tm-17_1_morris-dees/2 The Long Crusade: Morris Dees Has Battled the Klan for More Than a Decade. Now His Target Is Tom Metzger and the White Aryan Resistance. December 03, 1989] .
- ↑ The United Klans of America. May 16, 2000 (inaccessible link) . Date of treatment June 13, 2016. Archived April 22, 2016.
- ↑ KLANSMAN TELLS OF ABDUCTING AND HANGING BLACK. Published: December 8, 1983 .
- ↑ [ http://www.upi.com/Archives/1983/12/07/Klansman-describes-revenge-slaying-of-young-black/8556439621200/ Klansman describes revenge slaying of young black Dec. 7, 1983] .
- ↑ Josephus R. ANDERSON v. STATE 1983. .
- ↑ The United States District Court. .
- ↑ ALABAMA JUDGE OVERRULES JURY, SENTENCES A KLANSMAN TO DEATH. Published: February 3, 1984 .
- ↑ Klansmen sentencing to life in prison. 11 april 1985. .
- ↑ [ https://www.splcenter.org/seeking-justice/case-docket/donald-v-united-klans-america Donald v. United Klans of America Case Number: 84-0725] .
- ↑ [ https://www.nytimes.com/1987/02/13/us/us-jurors-award-7-million-damages-in-slaying-by-klan.html US JURORS AWARD $ 7 MILLION DAMAGES IN SLAYING BY KLAN Published: February 13, 1987] .
- ↑ Bennie Hays, Actions Led To Klan Downfall. August 9, 1993 .
- ↑ [ http://archive.adl.org/issue_combating_hate/uka/decline.html The Decline of the United Klans of America] (link not available) . Date of treatment June 13, 2016. Archived April 2, 2016.
- ↑ Klan Member Put to Death In Race Death. Published: June 6, 1997 .
- ↑ Michael Donald, Last Noted African-American Man Lynched by the Ku Klux Klan. September 19, 2015 .
- ↑ Ivins, Molly. Beulah Mae Donald // Molly Ivins Can't Say That, Can She ?. - Vintage, 1991 .-- P. 255-262. - ISBN 9780679741831 .
- ↑ Michael Donald clip on KKK: Inside American Terror , National Geographic . Archived on October 30, 2008. Date of treatment November 18, 2008.