Who was George Tompkins?: Exploring the Politics and Personhood of a Lynching Victim
Join Haley Brinker of the Advancing Racial Equity Speakers Bureau for a free community event hosted by Levi & Catharine Coffin State Historic Site.
Event Details
Who was George Tompkins? In 1922, a 19-year-old Black man was found dead in Riverside Park in Indianapolis. While newspapers called it a lynching, the coroner declared the cause of death as suicide, and the case faded into obscurity. 100 years later, as a graduate student, Haley Brinker heard about the case and sought to understand just who this young man was beyond his moniker of victim. This talk delves into the politics surrounding the lynching death of George Tompkins, the importance of a human-centered approach, and how the archive can bring insight into the lives of those long dead.
This free event is recommended for audiences 16+. Register by visiting https://www.indianamuseum.org/historic-sites/levi-catharine-coffin-house/ or by calling (765) 847-1691.
Haley Brinker (she/her) is a Hoosier by transplant having moved to Indiana in 2011. After receiving her B.S. in Classical Cultures at Ball State University, she earned her M.A. in History with a focus on Public History from IU Indianapolis, where her research focused on anti-Black violence and Black resistance in her adopted home state. She currently works as an architectural historian with INDOT’s Cultural Resources Office performing Section 106 reviews on transportation projects.