more on mythology of southern racism
lynching and racism are not southern (american) in nature. there is a vested interest in people from other areas of the united states trying to project all the blame on the south and deny regional complicity in the institution of racism, especially jim crow laws and the violence carried out by a racist society. but this is problematic at best and blind, willful ignorance at worst.
i would like to share with you the following website called without sanctuary. this is a documentation of lynchings and hangings of african americans. the pictures are generally not work safe, they may be upsetting and triggering to anyone human(e), and i'd like to point out that the origins of the pictures range from (yes) the south to just about everywhere else in this country. please also note the dates of the pictures. they are not so very long ago.
while debate is raging on the recent spate of "noose incidents" from jena, louisiana to new york city, please keep in mind that despite what other uses you may argue the noose has been put to (hangings in the "old west", "witches" in new england, etc.), the fact remains that the noose is a potent symbol of racist violence. it is used against people of color, particularly african americans, to remind them of their "place" in society and is a clear threat of violence used to intimidate and terrorize.
some things you may not know about lynchings and concerning the photos i've linked to:
1. lynchings were public affairs, not private vigilante killings perpetrated by a few angry people.
2. people in communities would gather at lynchings as though they were a giant picnic or fair.
3. people would take pictures of each other with the dead bodies.
4. sometimes they would send these pictures to the families of the victims.
5. sometimes they would keep the pictures as mementos.
6. most lynchings involved not only the complicity of community members but complete immunity for those who aided, facilitated, or looked the other way.
7. most lynchings were perpetrated against people who were not guilty of major crimes and many who were simply at the wrong place at the wrong time.
the more we know and recover history, the less chance we have of repeating the past. please educate yourself. please educate other people. nooses are not "a joke," and african american people are not being "oversensitive" when they object to the offensiveness of these symbols.
i would like to share with you the following website called without sanctuary. this is a documentation of lynchings and hangings of african americans. the pictures are generally not work safe, they may be upsetting and triggering to anyone human(e), and i'd like to point out that the origins of the pictures range from (yes) the south to just about everywhere else in this country. please also note the dates of the pictures. they are not so very long ago.
while debate is raging on the recent spate of "noose incidents" from jena, louisiana to new york city, please keep in mind that despite what other uses you may argue the noose has been put to (hangings in the "old west", "witches" in new england, etc.), the fact remains that the noose is a potent symbol of racist violence. it is used against people of color, particularly african americans, to remind them of their "place" in society and is a clear threat of violence used to intimidate and terrorize.
some things you may not know about lynchings and concerning the photos i've linked to:
1. lynchings were public affairs, not private vigilante killings perpetrated by a few angry people.
2. people in communities would gather at lynchings as though they were a giant picnic or fair.
3. people would take pictures of each other with the dead bodies.
4. sometimes they would send these pictures to the families of the victims.
5. sometimes they would keep the pictures as mementos.
6. most lynchings involved not only the complicity of community members but complete immunity for those who aided, facilitated, or looked the other way.
7. most lynchings were perpetrated against people who were not guilty of major crimes and many who were simply at the wrong place at the wrong time.
the more we know and recover history, the less chance we have of repeating the past. please educate yourself. please educate other people. nooses are not "a joke," and african american people are not being "oversensitive" when they object to the offensiveness of these symbols.