Lake City held a ceremony exactly 121 years after a mob killed a postmaster and his two-year-old daughter in the 1800s.
Frazier Baker and his daughter died back in 1898 and on Friday, the Lake City post office, elected officials and the Baker family honored their lives in a special way.
“Frazier Baker fell on his knees to pray, when he realized that he was going to die running or standing still,” said grand niece of Frazier Baker, Dr. Fostenia Baker.
Elected officials and community members were in attendance to see the the Lake City post office named in memory of Frazier Baker.
“The large crowd of people that we have today, that have come together to honor someone that opened so many doors for many others coming along behind him and the dedication that it took to do that,” said Mayor Lovith Anderson.
Frazier Baker was the first African American appointed to serve as a postmaster in Lake City back in 1987. When he refused to give up his post, a mob burned his home, shot and killed Baker and his daughter.
“This was a long time coming. We as small town communities all over the United States have things in our past that we wish would not have happened or we try to forget, or we act like they never happened at all,” said Anderson.
Congressman James Clyburn sponsored the legislation to acknowledge the sacrifice of Frazier and others who stood against injustice.
“I try to make it my business in congress to do everything I possibly can to destroy myths, repair faults, and make wrongs into right, and this is one of those things,” said Congressman Clyburn.
The Baker family will also partner with city officials to start a scholarship for students in the community.
