Between 1880 and 1896, three known lynchings were carried out in Montgomery County, Maryland. All three were committed at night, with groups of local citizens—either masked or unmasked—taking Black men who had been accused of crimes from county law enforcement officers and hanging the men from trees alongside major county roadways. The first occurred in Poolesville, while the next two were in Rockville, the county seat. In the documentary film The Three Lynchings, local filmmaker Jay Mallin explores these public murders as acts of racial terrorism.
A viewing of the film (45 minutes in length) will take place via Zoom at 2:00 pm Eastern on February 7, followed by a panel discussion of the movie with Jay Mallin and local historians.
This viewing is sponsored by Westmoreland Congregational United Church and co-sponsored by Macedonia Baptist Church, River Road Unitarian Universalist Congregation, Bethesda Presbyterian Church, the Briggs Center for Faith and Action, Interwoven Congregations, Bethesda United Church of Christ, Cedar Lane Unitarian Universalist Congregation and other Bethesda-Chevy Chase area religious organizations.
The screening is free. Participants will be asked to make an optional donation of $2 per person to a fund to support Historically Black Colleges and Universities of Maryland.
To register or for more information, go to Facebook.com/WestmorelandUCC and find the film under Events. Or you may email church@westmorelanducc.org or call 301-229-7766.