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Raynard Johnson, a young African American boy of 17 was hung in a tree in his front yard. This took place in the state of Mississippi. On June 16, Raynard was found by his father. It was concluded that it was a suicide, but his family wanted more evidence. The police leaned on the fact that Raynard had broke up with a girlfriend previously that day. In addition, his girlfriend was white and his father was not very fond of this relationship. Raynard was being harrassed because he and his older brother were friends with two other white females, in addition to his girlfriend.
Evidence showed that Raynard was being watched every night before his lynching. The neighbors had seen a unfamiliar truck driving by unusually slow about the time that Raynard had come home that night at about 9:00. Raynard father came home a alf an hour later to find Raynard hanging in the fromt tree by a belt that was not owned by the family. the police insisted on this being a suicide. Later it was proved not because Raynrds only belt was found later that evening lying in his closet.
Raynard's family and community got together and started a Prayer-and-Justice March. They were marching throughout the town, and as they passed over a local bridge, they found that someone had painted, " Kill All N******." The community joined together and decided to get the nation's attention about the racism going on throughout the South.
In the end, this brought the community together realizing the effects of racism, and that drastic change in society needed to take place.
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