Rosedale Banishment Remembrance Day events set for Sept. 7

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JOHNSTOWN, Pa. – Two events are scheduled to take place in Johnstown on Thursday, Sept. 7 to commemorate what Gov. Josh Shapiro recently officially proclaimed to be Rosedale Banishment Remembrance Day.

A century ago, on Aug. 30, 1923, Robert Young, a Black migrant steel mill worker, shot six police officers in the city’s Rosedale neighborhood, killing four, including two who died that day. In response, Mayor Joseph Cauffiel, supported by the Ku Klux Klan, issued an edict on Sept. 7, 1923, expelling all Black people and Mexicans who lived in the city for less than seven years. An estimated 500 to 2,000 people left.

Now, on Sept. 7, a noontime vigil, hosted by the United Women in Faith and the Summit Transformational Action Antiracism Team, will be held at the Central Park gazebo.

Then, at 7 p.m., a panel discussion titled “Rosedale Remembered: A Commemoration of Shame and Commitment to Change” is planned at the Johnstown Area Heritage Association’s Frank & Sylvia Pasquerilla Heritage Discovery Center, 201 Sixth Ave. in the Cambria City Historic District.

The discussion will include Carol Francois and Kourtney King-Square, co-hosts of the “Why Are They So Angry?” podcast; Cody McDevitt, author of “Banished from Johnstown: Racist Backlash in Pennsylvania;” and local photographer Jackie Gunby.

“I grew up in Johnstown yet never knew of this incident,” Francois said in a released statement. “A few years ago, I read Cody McDevitt’s book and learned the sad history. When I realized the 100th anniversary of the incident would be in 2023, I immediately decided to use the resources of my company, Francois Consulting, to commemorate the event.”

McDevitt’s 2020 book is widely credited with bringing new attention to the Rosedale Incident.

“I think, first of all, as I’ve said publicly, these incidents aren’t unusual or isolated to Johnstown,” McDevitt said. “What makes Johnstown unique is that, first, it recovered this part of history. Secondly, it actually teaches this history in its school system. It also now has proclamations from the governor and the city acknowledging it and a (state) historical marker (approved). Most communities in which something like this happened haven’t taken anywhere near those steps to rectify the wrong that was done.”

In his proclamation, Shapiro described the banishment as “a tragic moment in our Commonwealth’s history” and called upon the state’s residents to “acknowledge this important observance and to continue to work toward the goal of liberty and justice for all.”

“We cannot tolerate nor excuse any form of hate in our communities,” Shapiro stated in the proclamation. “I firmly believe that no matter your race, religion, or background, you have a place in Pennsylvania.”

Johnstown Mayor Frank Janakovic, in a separate proclamation, denounced the banishment “as a blatant and egregious embrace of Jim Crow policy and racism” that “upended the lives of hundreds of families who committed no wrongs.”

The city, according to Janakovic’s document, “condemns the response to the shooting and remembers the anguish of the African and Mexican American communities; we honor their sacrifices, their resiliency, and their undying hope in the pursuit of racial justice.”

“We offer our solemn resolve to ensure that all citizens of the City are treated with the dignity, respect, and fairness that every person is entitled to at birth,” Janakovic concluded.

Dave Sutor is a reporter for The Tribune-Democrat. He can be reached at 814-532-5056. Follow him on Twitter @Dave_Sutor.

What: Rosedale remembrance vigil

When: Noon Thursday, Sept. 7

Where: Johnstown's Central Park

wpaumc.org/newsdetail/johnstown-banishment-to-be-commemorated-17566233

What: “Rosedale Remembered: A Commemoration of Shame and Commitment to Change”

When: 7 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 7

Where: Johnstown's Central Park

The presentation is free, but registration is required at jaha.org/events/rosedale-remembered-a-commemoration-of-shame-and-commitment-to-change/.

Sometime back in the 1990s, Mary Carol “Butchie” Edwards read a column in The Tribune-Democrat about the 1923 Rosedale incident and, much to her surprise, saw the name “Joseph Grachan.”

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