The Ed Johnson Conversations
Ray BassettIn 1906, Ed Johnson - a young Black man - was falsely accused and wrongfully convicted of a crime he did not commit here in Chattanooga.His case reached the United States Supreme Court, which issued a stay of execution.But a violent mob took the law into its own hands - and lynched him on the Walnut Street Bridge.From his arrest through his trial to the final moments of his life, Ed Johnson said, again and again: “I am an innocent man.”Scenic Roots bring you a series of conversations with members of The Ed Johnson Project about his story from more than a century ago - and the memorial in this century at the south end of the bridge where his life ended.
In 1906, Ed Johnson - a young Black man - was falsely accused and wrongfully convicted of a crime he did not commit here in Chattanooga.His case reached the United States Supreme Court, which issued a stay of execution.But a violent mob took the law into its own hands - and lynched him on the Walnut Street Bridge.From his arrest through his trial to the final moments of his life, Ed Johnson said, again and again: “I am an innocent man.”Scenic Roots bring you a series of conversations with members of The Ed Johnson Project about his story from more than a century ago - and the memorial in this century at the south end of the bridge where his life ended.