Alton Collier Project
Stories like Alton Collier's tragic yet largely unknown murder are essential to our center's dedication to community-engaged histories that tie together university and non-university events. Understanding Collier's struggle with segregated San Diego in the 1940s is inextricably linked with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s 1964 visit to San Diego State that saw the civil rights pioneer vehemently protest the a California proposition, led by San Diego realtors, to allow racial discrimination in housing. We were thrilled to join the Coronado Community Remembrance Coalition, led by Kevin Ashley and Dr. Fern Nelson, in 2024, and extremely proud of what we have accomplished on this project since.
Events
Soil Collection Ceremony
On September 7, 2024, the Coronado Community Remembrance Coalition (CCRC), in partnership with the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI) and the Coronado Historical Association, hosted a community soil collection ceremony at Centennial Park to honor the memory of Alton Collier, a 26-year-old Black Coronado resident who was killed in a racially motivated attack aboard the Coronado ferry in 1946. The program included remarks from community leaders, historians, educators, and elected officials, along with musical performances and moments of reflection.
During the ceremony, soil collected from the Coronado ferry landing was placed into two memorial jars as part of EJI’s Community Remembrance Project. One jar will be displayed at EJI’s Legacy Museum in Montgomery, Alabama, alongside hundreds of similar memorial jars from communities across the United States, while the second will remain in San Diego as a local memorial and educational artifact.
Coronado’s Dark Past: Soil Collection Ceremony for Alton Collier
By Tihut Tamrat, Contributing Writer
The San Diego Voice & Viewpoint
Published September 10, 2024
Coronado Man Memorialized as Victim of Racial Lynching on the Coronado Ferry
By Christine Van Tuyl
The Coronado Times
Published September 9, 2024
Reflections on Montgomery, Alabama: A group of Coronado and San Diego residents visit Equal Justice Initiative’s legacy sites
Coronado Magazine
Published September 4, 2024, Pages 33-38
Next step taken to memorialize Coronado man Alton Collier as racial lynching victim
By Katie Hyson / Racial Justice and Social Equity Reporter; Contributors: Carlos Castillo / Video Journalist
KPBS
Published August 22, 2024
Coronado man’s death ruled suicide in 1946, today recognized as ‘racial terror lynching’
By Lisa Deaderick
The San Diego Union-Tribune
Published May 26, 2024
His San Diego death certificate says ‘suicide.’ Now he’s being recognized as California’s third lynching victim
By Katie Hyson / Racial Justice and Social Equity Reporter; Contributors: Carlos Castillo / Video Journalist
KPBS
Published May 23, 2024
Death on the Ferry: The Alton Collier Story
By Kevin Ashley
The Coronado Black History Project
Coronado Community Partners with EJI to Memorialize Lynching Victim Alton Collier
EJI
Ways to Give
Our history is more than the past; it is the living foundation of our communities. Please join us in supporting SDSU’s cultural and historical legacies. Your gift protects our history, funds cultural preservation, and ensures that these stories inspire future generations.
Stay Connected
Email: [email protected]
Top banner image: The two filled soil collection jars in honor of Alton Collier. (Photo credit: Joel Ortiz)
