Nationwide — In June 1930, Dennis Hubert, a then-18-year-old African American college student, was lynched by a white mob in Atlanta. Nearly a century later, Morehouse College has honored him with a posthumous degree, accepted by his nephew in an emotional ceremony. Two weeks ago, Morehouse College awarded Dennis Hubert a posthumous Bachelor of Arts in Religion. His nephew, Imam Plemon El-Amin, accepted the degree on his behalf, saying it brought long-overdue recognition to Hubert’s life and legacy.
“Many prayers were said in his name,” El-Amin told CNN about the ceremony. “Many people remembered him and were informed about his life and his legacy, and so the knowledge was there, as well as the charity of him sacrificing his life so that we would be more conscious of the value of young life and the value of human life, but also the value of justice.”
Hubert was a sophomore studying divinity at Morehouse when he visited the playground of a segregated Black school on June 15, 1930. While there, seven white men accused him of insulting a white woman. Hubert denied it, but the men attacked him. One of them shot him in the head at point-blank range in front of two dozen witnesses. Police never investigated. There was no trial.
His killing was one of thousands of racially motivated lynchings in the American South during that era. The Equal Justice Initiative reports over 4,000 such acts between 1877 and 1950.
In the days after Hubert’s murder, his family faced more violence. His father’s house was burned down. A church raising funds for the family and calling for justice was tear-gassed. His cousin narrowly escaped an attempted murder. Despite eyewitnesses, the men involved received light sentences. The shooter served only two years.
Morehouse College president David Thomas called Hubert a “martyr of justice” and likened his death to the modern-day tragedy of Trayvon Martin.
For El-Amin, now 75 years old, the ceremony reflected Islamic teachings about leaving behind good deeds and prayers. He said Hubert’s legacy now inspires others to value human life and justice.
“Ninety-five years later, people are conscious of his life, which means he’s still alive,” El-Amin said. “Though not here with us physically or in body, but his life, his will, and he is providing inspiration for those of us left behind.”