A Century of Racism in Minnesota

Student's Name

Nicole Jecha, Minnesota State University, Mankato

1st Student's Major

Biological Sciences, Honors Program

1st Student's College

Science, Engineering and Technology

Students' Professional Biography

Nicole Jecha is a undergraduate student at Minnesota State University Mankato pursuing a Bachelors degree in Biology. She also has a passion for social justice and activism, which led her to produce this research. She is originally from Eden Prairie, Minnesota and hopes to one day work in Wildlife Rehabilitation.

Mentor's Name

Leah White

Mentor's Email Address

leah.white@mnsu.edu

Mentor's Department

Honors Program

Abstract

In 1920, Elias Clayton, Elmer Jackson, and Isaac McGhee were lynched in Duluth based on an accusation of assault. 100 years later, in 2020, George Floyd was murdered in Minneapolis by police based on an accusation of a fraudulent $20 bill. 2 events, a century a part, show that while years have passed, Minnesota’s history of racial discrimination still repeats itself. As I looked at what happened in both situations, I ask myself how, if at all, has racism changed in Minnesota? And what is the cause? I researched through the 100 years to look at the evolution of racial discrimination in Minnesota and how white supremacy and white fragility play a role. I attempt to answer the question, how have the events of the past century changed social injustice today?

Recommended Citation

Jecha, Nicole (2021) "A Century of Racism in Minnesota," Journal of Undergraduate Research at Minnesota State University, Mankato: Vol. 21, Article 1.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.56816/2378-6949.1218
Available at: https://cornerstone.lib.mnsu.edu/jur/vol21/iss1/1

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.