In 1944, in South Carolina, a 14-year-old Black boy was accused of killing two white girls.
No physical evidence. No credible witnesses. No real defence.
Just a Black child in the American South.
The jury was all white. The trial lasted less than 3 hours. They deliberated for just 10 minutes before sentencing a child to death.
George Stinney Jr. weighed 90 pounds.
When they brought him to the electric chair, he was so small that the straps wouldn't fit around his body.
So they sat him on a Bible.
Let that sink in. They sat a 90-pound 14-year-old boy on a Bible so they could strap him into an electric chair.
On June 16, 1944, George Stinney Jr. was executed.
He became the youngest person put to death in the United States in the 20th century.
He was 14 years old.
Seventy years later, in 2014, a judge vacated his conviction.
George Stinney Jr. was innocent.
Innocent. Murdered by the state. And given justice only after everyone who failed him was already dead and buried.
This is not ancient history. This is 80 years ago. This is living memory. This is the system working exactly as it was designed to.
Say his name.
✊🏾 GEORGE STINNEY JR. — 1929 to 1944.
Share this so the world never forgets what was done to him.
#GeorgeStinneyJr #SayHisName #RacialJustice #BlackHistory #Exonerated #NeverForget
No physical evidence. No credible witnesses. No real defence.
Just a Black child in the American South.
The jury was all white. The trial lasted less than 3 hours. They deliberated for just 10 minutes before sentencing a child to death.
George Stinney Jr. weighed 90 pounds.
When they brought him to the electric chair, he was so small that the straps wouldn't fit around his body.
So they sat him on a Bible.
Let that sink in. They sat a 90-pound 14-year-old boy on a Bible so they could strap him into an electric chair.
On June 16, 1944, George Stinney Jr. was executed.
He became the youngest person put to death in the United States in the 20th century.
He was 14 years old.
Seventy years later, in 2014, a judge vacated his conviction.
George Stinney Jr. was innocent.
Innocent. Murdered by the state. And given justice only after everyone who failed him was already dead and buried.
This is not ancient history. This is 80 years ago. This is living memory. This is the system working exactly as it was designed to.
Say his name.
✊🏾 GEORGE STINNEY JR. — 1929 to 1944.
Share this so the world never forgets what was done to him.
#GeorgeStinneyJr #SayHisName #RacialJustice #BlackHistory #Exonerated #NeverForget
In 1944, in South Carolina, a 14-year-old Black boy was accused of killing two white girls.
No physical evidence. No credible witnesses. No real defence.
Just a Black child in the American South.
The jury was all white. The trial lasted less than 3 hours. They deliberated for just 10 minutes before sentencing a child to death.
George Stinney Jr. weighed 90 pounds.
When they brought him to the electric chair, he was so small that the straps wouldn't fit around his body.
So they sat him on a Bible.
Let that sink in. They sat a 90-pound 14-year-old boy on a Bible so they could strap him into an electric chair.
On June 16, 1944, George Stinney Jr. was executed.
He became the youngest person put to death in the United States in the 20th century.
He was 14 years old.
Seventy years later, in 2014, a judge vacated his conviction.
George Stinney Jr. was innocent.
Innocent. Murdered by the state. And given justice only after everyone who failed him was already dead and buried.
This is not ancient history. This is 80 years ago. This is living memory. This is the system working exactly as it was designed to.
Say his name.
✊🏾 GEORGE STINNEY JR. — 1929 to 1944.
Share this so the world never forgets what was done to him.
#GeorgeStinneyJr #SayHisName #RacialJustice #BlackHistory #Exonerated #NeverForget
