Two sisters talk about the killing of their father, Willie Edwards Jr., by Klansmen in 1957. "You destroyed our hopes and our dreams and our love, but you didn t remove the man," says Malinda Edwards.
Two sisters talk about the killing of their father, Willie Edwards Jr., by Klansmen in 1957. "You destroyed our hopes and our dreams and our love, but you didn t remove the man," says Malinda Edwards.
6 hours ago by Kerrie Hillman (NPR)
Play Audio
Willie Edwards Jr. died in 1957. He was killed by Klansman who told him to either jump off a bridge or be shot.
On January 23, 1957, Willie Edwards Jr. was eating dinner with his family in Montgomery, Ala., when he got a call from his boss at the Winn-Dixie asking if he could cover a shift for another driver.
He left his two small daughters and pregnant wife at home that evening but never made it back.
Years later, a former Klansman said that he and other Ku Klux Klan members pulled Willie out of his truck at gunpoint, terrorized him, and brought him to a high bridge over the Alabama River.
Klansmen Brutally Killed Their Father. They Now Say His Legacy Is Larger Than Life
By Kerrie Hillman
June 4, 2021
On Jan. 23, 1957, Willie Edwards Jr. was eating dinner with his family in Montgomery, Ala., when he got a call from his boss at the Winn-Dixie asking if he could cover a shift for another driver.
He left his two young daughters and pregnant wife at home that evening but never made it back.
Years later, a former Klansman said that he and other Ku Klux Klan members pulled Willie out of his truck at gunpoint, terrorized him and brought him to a high bridge over the Alabama River.