Vigil held for Salisbury lynching victim

A group of local activists came together in Salisbury Friday to remember the victim of a dark chapter in Delmarva's history.

This year marks the 120th anniversary of the lynching of 18-year-old Garfield King in downtown Salisbury in 1898.

King was in jail for allegedly shooting a white man, but the community took matters into their own hands, taking King from his jail cell to the Wicomico County court house where he was murdered.

An invocation, vigil and moment of silence were held to keep the story alive, and to bring awareness to this part of history.  One activist tells us we can take tales like this from the past and continue to apply them to experiences today.

"The feeling is there still, and until we actually talk about the past and how it actually effects today, we're not going to be able to move forward together," said local activist James Yamakawa.  "If you know your history, you know where you are.  And it's important that the community knows their history."

The Chipman Cultural Center will be hosting its annual Juneteenth celebration on June 16th, also known as Freedom Day.  The day is the celebration of the announcement to the slaves in Texas they had been freed.