The Indiana teen fought to honor the victims of black secession in his homeland — and won
Although Sophie Kloppenburg may be young, she already has the experience of fighting adversity in the name of Black history.
In particular, this 17-year-old girl had to overcome obstacles when embarking on a mission to pay respects to the seven Black men who were executed in her hometown of Mount Vernon, Indiana, according to the report. Black Star Atlanta.
Calling Attention to Mount Vernon’s Dark Past
While practicing for a driving test with a family friend, Sophie begins to learn about Mount Vernon’s troubled history. Although the South Indiana community is her hometown, she has never heard of its dark past.
“We talked about the history of the Negro and everything, and he told me about the hangings that happened, and it was obvious to me that I was shocked because I had lived here all my life and never never knew it had happened.”
Within three days in October 1878, a mob of lynchers brutally murdered seven men—Daniel Harrison Jr., John Harrison, Daniel Harrison Sr., Jim Good, William Chambers, Edward Warner, and Jeff Hopkins. CBS reported that the murder took place after the men were accused of rape. Also, it’s important to note that mobs hanged four men outside the Posey County courthouse.
Upon learning of this information, Sophie inquired whether the court would hold a celebration of the incident. However, she can’t find any mention of the murder, so she sets out on a mission to change that with a memorial.
Critics struggle to whitewash history in Posey County
While Sophie’s pursuit to honor the hanging victims is commendable, locals have not really embraced it with open arms.
Since the community at Mount Vernon is predominantly white, Sophie feels as though many are not overly interested in the project. In fact, she told Black Star Atlanta that she must file a complaint with the Posey County Commissioner’s Office on five different occasions before they agreed to look at the memorial.
Bryan Schorr, a county commissioner, addressed the issue by noting that hesitation is “more about using the right words and making sure the wording is accurate and grabs everyone’s attention.” people in a positive way.
In turn, Sophie recalls some of the compromises she made to make her project a reality.
“For me, I had to get rid of really important words like ‘linched’. [and] ‘mobbed’…I can’t use those really important words because it makes people too uncomfortable.
However, Kloppenburg will certainly push back some other tweaks.
“They also wanted me not to put the word African-American in there, and I didn’t at all. What’s the point of putting this up there if people don’t know this is a racially motivated murder?”
Overall, Sophie has accomplished her goal, and she’s happy her community is willing to “have the tough conversations”.
“I am proud of Posey County, Indiana and the beautiful people here for having tough conversations and giving a tangible voice to the minorities here. Thank you.”
Sophie Kloppenburg, 17, of Mount Vernon, Indiana, helped organize the memorial 144 years after the gruesome fate of seven black men who were victims of the largest recorded execution in the state.
https://t.co/wLcOEhDUVc– Atlanta Black Star (@ATLBlackStar) November 19, 2022
Thank you Sophie Kloppenburg for coming out and establishing a memorial in honor of the victims of the Mount Vernon execution.
