LaGrange, Georgia (CNN) When it happened, news of Austin Callaway's killing on September 8, 1940, barely earned a mention in his hometown newspaper in LaGrange, Georgia. Recognizing the impact that the lynching has had on the police department's relationship with the African-American community, LaGrange is set to apologize in a rare public acknowledgment on Thursday. That's beginning to change, thanks to an unusual joint effort from city officials, the local NAACP branch and a citizens' group. Their efforts will culminate Thursday's rare public acknowledgment and attempt to atone for Callaway's lynching more than 75 years after the fact. Deborah Tatum, a descendant of Callaway, learned his name and his story in 2014 while researching genealogy.

Source: CNN January 26, 2017 21:30 UTC