Recy Taylor

Who is Recy Taylor?

Recy Taylor is an African American woman from Abbeville in Henry County, Alabama. On September 3, 1944, she was kidnapped while leaving church and brutally gang raped by six white men. Even though the men admitted the rape to authorities, two grand juries subsequently declined to indict the men, meaning no charges were ever brought against Taylor's six assailants.

In 2011, the Alabama House of Representatives apologized on behalf of the state "for its failure to prosecute her attackers." Taylor's rape and the subsequent court cases were among the first instances of nation wide protest and activism among the African American community, and ended up providing an early organizational spark for the Civil Rights movement.