Morehouse honors lynched student Dennis Hubert with posthumous degree

Morehouse College honors Dennis Taylor Hubert

Morehouse College honored Dennis Taylor Hubert during Sunday's commencement ceremony with a posthumous degree. Hubert was lynched nearly a century ago by a group of white men on the playground of Crogman School after being falsely accused of disrespecting a white woman.

ATLANTA - Morehouse College honored the memory of Dennis Taylor Hubert, an 18-year-old student who was lynched in 1930, by awarding him a posthumous degree during its commencement ceremony on Sunday.

Hubert, a sophomore studying divinity at Morehouse, was killed nearly a century ago on the playground of Crogman School by a group of white men. The tribute comes as part of the college’s effort to acknowledge past racial injustices and restore dignity to those affected by them.

What we know:

In June 1930, Hubert was falsely accused of disrespecting a white woman who was accompanied by two white men. After the initial encounter, those men reportedly returned to the school with five others and fatally shot Hubert. He was the son of Rev. Gaddus J. Hubert, one of Atlanta’s most prominent Black ministers at the time, according to FultonRemembrance.org. 

The violence did not stop with Hubert’s death. Two days later, his father’s home was set on fire, and shortly afterward, his cousin narrowly escaped a similar attack. Though seven men were arrested and indicted, none were convicted of murder. Two were found guilty of lesser offenses—one receiving 12 to 15 years for voluntary manslaughter, and another, who admitted to firing the fatal shot, was sentenced to just two years.

What they're saying:

Members of Hubert’s family attended the graduation ceremony to accept the honorary degree on his behalf, marking a long-overdue moment of recognition.

"Today, we do what history failed to do. We restore dignity. We restore honor," Morehouse President David A. Thomas said in a previous statement reflecting on the decision.