Black Environmental Leaders (BEL) is continuing its commemoration of what is believed to be the only documented lynching in Cuyahoga County. The group will install a marker to remember the life of John Jordan, who was killed by a white mob in the early 1900s at what is now known as West 98th Street and Lorain Avenue.

BEL is a nonprofit organization focusing on environmental justice and climate activism with a mission to “advocate, incubate and inform.”

As Signal Cleveland reported in December, many of BEL’s members traveled to Montgomery, Alabama, to experience the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) Legacy Sites. Each site works together to create a visual timeline of the history of slavery, from the first slave ships that arrived in Alabama to the state of African-Americans today. 

BEL started their community commemoration in December, leading up to the installation of the marker, which honors the life of Jordan, in June.

Remembering John Jordan

SeMia Bray, co-director of BEL, told Signal Cleveland that the project came to life after members of the organization became aware of Jordan’s story.

“A few years ago, we had some members come to us because they had learned of the story of John Jordan, a young African American man in Cleveland who was a victim of racialized violence in 1911,” Bray said. “He was chased down and lynched because he ate cherries from the cherry tree of a local white farmer.

“The members wanted to do a community remembrance project in partnership with EJI. We shared that we wanted to commemorate Jordan with a marker in Cleveland and a token in the museum. They asked us if we would partner with them and take the lead on advocating for this project.”

The community remembrance project is designed to locally memorialize documented victims of racial violence while educating communities about the history of racial injustice.

The project consists of three parts: community conversations around racialized violence and healing, collecting a soil sample from the location of where the lynching occurred, and the placement of a marker that commemorates Jordan.

Years of work have led up to the commemoration. The final task, the placement of the marker, is set to take place on Sunday, June 22, at Elizabeth Baptist Church immediately following service. 

Pastor Richard Gibson is the lead pastor at Elizabeth Baptist Church. He is proud to know that the church will forever be connected to the story of Jordan. 

“It is an honor to provide a location for the historical marker. The marker offers an opportunity for us to constantly remember the sacrifices of the past and to chart a course forward with exemplary love and equity.” Gibson said. ”The marker will be placed in a Slavic Village and in a city that continues to face racial and cultural barriers. The marker should spur observers to positive action.”

Schedule of events

BEL has released their calendar of events leading up to the marker dedication. Some details are still being finalized. Here is an initial list of what is planned:

Signal Cleveland will update this list as we gather more information. Times are yet to be determined.