Legacy of Lynching
In the 1890s, the justification for lynching was often an accusation of law-breaking.
One woman worked tirelessly, risking her own life and livelihood, to prove the killings had no legal justification.
Ida B. Wells
Investigative reporter
& data journalism pioneer
Link to New York Times "Overlooked" obituary for Ida B. Wells
In February 2015, the Equal Justice Initiative (EJI)
released a report on the history of lynchings in the U.S.
The authors of the report compiled an inventory
of 3,959* victims of "racial terror lynchings"
across 12 Southern states
between 1877 and 1950.
* They have since uncovered 116 more, bringing the total to 4,075
Today you'll be reading excerpts from that report
in order to understand how that legacy of lynching
has carried into the criminal justice system today.
Source: http://www.eji.org/files/EJI%20Lynching%20in%20America%20SUMMARY.pdf
Excerpt #1: Introduction (p. 3)
- How did terror lynchings shape geographic, political, social, and economic conditions of African Americans?
- What is the purpose of EJI's report?
- Why does EJI believe we should examine the history of racial injustice?
Excerpt #2: Characteristics
of the Lynching Era (p. 10-12, 14)
- What are the six categories of lynchings as determined by EJI?
- Which category did you find most disturbing?
- Which specific account of lynching did you find most disturbing?
Excerpt #3: Enabling, Opposition, and Confrontation (p. 18-20)
- How and why was lynching enabled?
- Describe the actions of those who worked to publicly oppose lynching.
- How can the legacy of lynching be seen today in our criminal justice system?
National Memorial for Peace & Justie
Ida B. Wells Monument
Strange Fruit by Billie Holiday
Analyzing Strange Fruit
- What is the "strange fruit" to which Holiday is referring?
- What sorts of adjectives (descriptive words) does Holiday use in the second verse? Why does she use them?
- What does Holiday mean by "bitter crop?"