Kent State University professor of history, Elaine Frantz, provided historical insight to a recent Mississippi hate crime case.
The man in question pleaded guilty to a federal hate crime charge for burning a cross in his yard to intimidate Black neighbors.
Frantz provided context surrounding the history of cross burning, linking it to the Ku Klux Klan. She told the Washington Post that the actions committed in the trial were similar to early Klan activity.
“This is exactly what the Klan is for,” said Frantz. “The Klan has always been about someone’s dog in someone else’s yard.”
To learn more about Frantz’s insight and to read the full article, visit. https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2022/12/05/cross-burning-gulfport/.