A Black man’s murder destroyed the economic aspirations of the whole community he employed

Evidence

“My father’s murder actually killed aspirations for Black people,” says McCall, referring to not just her family but all of the people who worked in their various enterprises. “Everyone had to go back to working for plantation owners. No one wanted to take over the business. My father had brothers, and when someone came in to ask my uncle, ‘Are you going to take over Elmore’s business?,’ he said, ‘No, that’s what got him killed.’ ” Less than two years later, the family fled Lowndes County in the dark of night, fearing for their lives. — Nikole Hannah-Jones et al., The 1619 Project, 913

Categorization

• XREF: Connects to the reader’s broader 1619 Project reading purpose: this is the ‘rippling effects’ of violence on Black economic self-determination, echoing the chapter’s case-study structure being tracked.