Black descendants of 1912 Forsyth racial cleansing say many white residents still in denial

In Forsyth County, about an hour drive from Atlanta, there exists a void. It’s so deeply rooted and ingrained that it’s hard to know just how deep.

While the void’s origins date back long before 1912, that’s when two separate but similar events forever changed the county.

It’s when murderous white mobs known as the “Night Riders” drove out every Black person: 1,098 according to the 1910 U.S. Census Bureau — gone. In the process, they set fire to Black-owned businesses and churches in Forsyth and publicly lynched three men, amid a series of alleged rapes of white women.