On the 96th anniversary of the lynching of three black circus workers in Duluth, Mike Tusken, the city's newly appointed police chief, described the challenge of coming to grips with his own family's involvement in the incident.

He said it wasn't until 2000 that he learned his great-aunt, Irene Tusken, had been the purported victim of an assault and rape at the hands of the circus workers. That crime was subsequently disproved by a doctor's examination, but the very allegation was sufficient to enrage the public and incite a crowd to break into the jail, take the suspects by force, beat them and hang them from a lamp post.

Tusken spoke Friday afternoon in downtown Duluth on the same corner where the three men's lifeless bodies were left on gruesome public display. The spot is now home to a monument built in honor of the victims: Elias Clayton, Elmer Jackson and Isaac McGhie.

"I have perspective, when I look at this memorial, from both sides of this issue," Tusken said.

He said it was hard for him personally to imagine Irene Tusken's involvement in the events.

"By the time I meet my great-aunt, she's a grandma. She's almost 80 years old, adorable. She pinched my cheeks. And I know that part of her. But I didn't know that back in 1920 that she was the young woman involved in this incident. And the perspective I share is that there is a tremendous amount of shame that is with the families who carry that burden. Shame that over the years, I wondered when people looked at me: Do they know, and do they think that I'm a racist? And that's a very heavy burden to carry for a lot of years," he said.

Tusken said he's honored to have an opportunity to make a difference in his new role as police chief.

"Here I am now in a position where I have a tremendous amount of authority and power to impact neighborhoods, to bring equity, and I think it's important that everyone knows that that is my mission. And I am colorblind. I want to see everyone in this community have an equitable future. So that if it's housing, if it's religious, if it's sexual orientation, everyone in this community should have the ability to be who they are, and we have to support them," he said.

Mayor Emily Larson said many local families were touched and stained by the events of June 15, 1920.

"It's painful for me, as mayor, to know this is part of our story, because I know that these were people's sons and brothers and friends and lovers, and that attaches us to them. But part of the pain, too, for me, is recognizing that if we can attach ourselves to their stories and their pain, we have to be really honest about attaching ourselves to stories of members of the mob. We are also them. We are the false witness and the jailer and the hangman. And for me that's very painful to know that we share both sides of that story," she said.

Larson said the subject of the Duluth lynching arose recently at a conference she was attending.

"People were surprised because they hadn't heard that story. And I was proud to say that in this community, we do talk about that. You may not have heard that story outside of Duluth, but here in Duluth we talk about it, and we face it, and we name it, because that is how we move on."

Larson said there is value in recognizing past injustices and proclaimed, "When the question is asked: Do black lives matter? Duluth says: Yes."

Denfeld High School Principal Tonya Sconiers said the lynching underscores the importance of confronting hate and prejudice.

"The Dalai Lama had a quote that spoke to all of our responsibilities. ... The quote was: 'It is not enough to be compassionate. You must act.' And each of us has not only the awesome responsibility of educating the youth in our community. But we also have the honor of doing that," she said.

Tusken described local police as "the guardian that protects the herd," but said broader community support will be needed to effect positive change.

"It is also incumbent on every single one of us in this city to look for equity. When you see people who are being oppressed, when you see inequities, when you see prejudice, it's our opportunity - not just for the audience but for everyone in the city - to stand up and to challenge that. Dig deep within yourself and find the courage to challenge people who are not being fair or are not being loving to other people," he said.

Superior Police Chief Nick Alexander called on people to remember their similarities and not dwell on their differences.

"We hear lots of talk about race. It's always in the news. But really, we're all part of one race - the human race. And I think that when we think about it, we have far more things in common than we have differences. And it's those things that we have in common that can help to bridge the gap between our differences and create better understanding and awareness," he said.

Stephan Witherspoon, a member of the Clayton Jackson McGhie Memorial board, implored the diverse crowd gathered at the monument Friday to work together.

"We can do this. Spread love, not hate," he said.