Grandfather's Lynching Motivates Evanston Family To Educate Others

EVANSTON (CBS) -- Eleanor Hill, 90, reads and writes poems about her grandfather, Anthony Crawford, to help her cope with his brutal death. He was a wealthy farmer and minister, who was lynched in Abbeyville, South Carolina in 1916. She said he simply went into town to sell cotton.

"And they did not want to pay the price because he was a black man. They beat him and then hung him" she said.

CBS 2's Sandra Torres reports.

The incident forced Hill's family to migrate to Evanston, which was still segregated at the time. Her heritage motivated her to become a librarian and to contribute to a black history resource center in Evanston's school district. Hill said she felt it was important to teach the mostly white staff about a history they weren't familiar with.

"The majority of the teachers were white and they didn't know any history," she said.

Hill's grandfather's story also made an impact on her daughter, Collette Allan. She leads a non-profit helping low income families at what was once the school her mother attended.

"We need to tell the story because it does impact our lives on a daily basis," she said.

The family is still seeking justice for Crawford's lynching. The U.S. Senate issued an apology to them in 2005. They have yet to recover 500 acres of land Hill's grandfather owned before he was killed.