George Stinney, Jr. was 14 years old when an all-white jury deliberated for 10 minutes before finding him guilty of murdering two young white girls in the town of Alcolu, SC. When he was strapped into the electric chair 3 months later on June 16, 1944, Stinney weighed 95 pounds and stood 5 feet, 1 inch tall. 

George Frierson spent countless hours digging through public records and archives, interviewing survivors and descendants of survivors, and lobbying decision-makers in order to assemble the components necessary to reopen the case of George Stinney, Jr. Thanks in large part to Frierson’s efforts, the Stinney conviction was vacated in 2014.

On June 16, 2024, the 80th anniversary of Stinny’s illegal execution was commemorated during a service held at Trinity A.M.E. Church in Manning. Members of the Stinney family were present, as was George Frierson. 

Speaking during the service that day, Frierson said, “It’s about posterity and legacy. The state of South Carolina and the people of South Carolina decided they would take something into their own hands when they knew he wasn’t guilty of what they accused him of.”