Join the BSU-UMD Social Justice Alliance for a powerful and thought-provoking discussion on the lynching of Emmett Till and the modern-day murder of Lt. Richard W. Collins III with The Barn author Wright Thompson and mother of Lt. Collins, Dawn Collins. Moderated by Sociology Professor Rashawn Ray, this conversation will discuss how echoes of our country’s lynching past create shadows of racial violence in the present. We hope this dialogue will elicit a reckoning that contributes to healing and the pursuit of social justice.

Wright Thompson will begin by discussing The Barn, his deeply reflective work that examines family legacies, memory, and the spaces that connect past and present. Following this, Thompson will engage in a profound dialogue with Mrs. Dawn Collins, whose son, Lt. Richard Collins III, was tragically killed in an act of modern-day racial violence. Together, they will reflect on the enduring legacy of historic lynching and its modern-day manifestations in the United States, highlighting how past injustices continue to reverberate in contemporary society.