Link

[catelin]

Sometimes our stories are shameful, but that doesn't mean we shouldn't tell them or that we shouldn't hear them. All of these are worth reading and I believe the links are only accessible for about a week, so I urge you to take the time to fill yourself with this history and ponder it a while.

Comments

[ex-blurt634.livejournal.com]

Oh God, Cate, how chilling. And in the midst of the horror stands out that surreal moment of a man eating baby food with one of the people who lynched his uncle.

I've had At the Hands of Persons Unknown: The Lynching of Black America on hold for me at the library for a while now. In fact, it's next up after my current batch of books. I haven't had a chance to see the series that PBS is doing on Jim Crow right now but I know that I should -- no matter how difficult it may be.

Thanks for posting that.

[ex-muzer409.livejournal.com]

Oh God. I went there, but I could only read the first page. No links for me. When the lynching photo exhibit was here a couple years ago, I downloaded all the pictures, and all the text from the exhibitor's website. I don't know why; as it turns out I'll never have to look at those pictures again. They, and their stories, are branded into my skull.

The postcards of lynchings, that people sent out to friends. As entertainment. I won't go into anymore.

I completely agree with you, this needs to be re-remembered, and re-told, and re-seen. That's the only way we can ever hope for "never again." The only way we will possibly know how easy it is to be what we think we never could be.

[channelinglucy.livejournal.com]

vThank you for posting this link. It wasn't until I watched a special on PBS several years ago that I had any idea that lynching didn't only occur in the middle of the night by men wearing masks and robes, nor did I realize how long it took to get laws passed (or overturned?) prohibiting lynching. From what I remember, the media had to publish or release photographs (much like footage of civil rights protestors being hosed by police) before there was enough of a public outcry to replace mob justice with true justice.

Although it was horrifying to watch and later read about events like this, portraying the extremes of racism and prejudice does help educate people. Michael Moore's new film, "Bowling for Columbine" (I've only seen clips thus far) does look at racism and its corresponding fear as one of the causes of gun violence in this country. I remember living in L.A. that ads for burglar alarms played on these fears, usually portrayed that "other" person of a different race breaking into a white couple's home.

(And this works both ways -- a very good friend who grew up black in a very racist Detroit told me how her parents taught her to fear and dislike white people. It struck me one day when she said she couldn't go into a pool or jacuzzi with other white people because her mother had told her that white people were dirty and didn't bathe properly. Children really do learn a lot of this from their parents.)