Georgia lawmaker recalls the 1946 Moores Ford lynchings during Black History observance

On Feb. 19, during morning orders dedicated to Black History Month, Representative Gisler asked the Georgia House to remember the victims of the 1946 Moores Ford lynchings and to recommit to equal justice.

"Eighty years ago this July, what is widely considered to be the last mass lynching in the United States occurred here in Georgia," Representative Gisler said, recounting that George Dorsey, Mae Dorsey, Dorothy Malcolm and Roger Malcolm were pulled from a vehicle at the Moores Ford Bridge, tied to trees and shot. Gisler noted Dorothy Malcolm was believed to be pregnant and that, despite investigations and national attention, no one was ever convicted.

The representative reminded the chamber that the Georgia Bureau of Investigation reopened the case in 1997 and that, in 2005, the General Assembly passed a resolution expressing regret for the state's history of lynching and racial violence. Gisler asked members to join in a moment of silence and in recommitment to equal justice under the law.

Why it matters: The Moores Ford killings are a historically significant act of racial violence in Georgia; the House floor remembrance signals continued legislative attention to historical injustices and public memory.