Man investigates his own family ties to 1920 Duluth lynchings

by Tom Crann, Minnesota Public Radio

St. Paul, Minn. — At the corner of East First Street and North Second Avenue in Duluth, there's a memorial to three men who were murdered nearby.

The Clayton Jackson McGhie memorial stands diagonally across the street from where three black circus workers were lynched by mob of citizens on a June night in 1920.

Several thousand people were there for the memorial's dedication back in 2003.

Warren Read spoke at the ceremony. His connection to the events the memorial commemorates is closer than most.

Warren Read has now written a book called "The Lyncher in Me." He joined Tom Crann to talk about his new book and the events of June 1920.

Broadcast Dates

• All Things Considered, 04/03/2008, 4:50 p.m.