“The historical significance of the noose” on NPR

Filed Under Black/African American Issues, Education and Academia, Media Praises and Critiques, Race and Racism by Lyonside

Yesterday while traveling I got to listen to NPR - Radio Times is a local Philadelphia broadcast and yesterday they interviewed Professor Ifill from UMaryland.

From the site page:

The historical significance of the noose. In recent months, the hangman’s noose has re-emerged as a symbol of racial hatred against African-Americans. We’ll talk with SHERRILYN IFILL a Professor of Law at the University of Maryland about the history of lynching of in America and what this says about race relations today. Ifill is a former Assistant Counsel at the NAACP Legal Defense and Education Fund and author of On the Courthouse Lawn: Confronting the Legacy of Lynching in the 21st Century.

? The podcast is worth a listen, and can be downloaded here.

Some points that? Ifill emphasized? that I? truly wish? CNN had covered better in their recent “Special Investigation”: (N.B. I’ve only listened to it once so far, while driving, so these are just the points I remember - I enjoyed the whole interview… as much as one can enjoy it, given the horrendous subject matter).

? 1. Public lynchings were often not just “in the dead of night” occurances, but drew crowds of white men and boys (occassionally women) from the entire region. People would close up their shops. Local police would direct traffic. The attacks often happened in public places, even, as Ifill’s book title states, on the courthouse lawn. In a time before 24-7 news channels and instant film, newspapers would not cover the event. If state officials or state police tried to investigate these crimes, they would find no witnesses.

2.? Lynching was a terrorist act towards the black (or other minority) communities - it was not just the death, but the torture and mutilation that was the message. Too often lynching is portrayed as a “vigilante” or “frontier justice” phenomenon, but it was much more than that when race was involved. The effect was to have the black communties police and stifle their own behavior (don’t rebel, don’t demand your rights, look down, don’t question, don’t complain) in order to avoid a similar fate. It also terrorized some in the white communities - Ifill pointed out that whites who were not involved in the actual lynchings were often? both afraid and ashamed, even as they were complicit in the crimes by not speaking out.

3. Most lynchings involved black men accused of killing white men, but the offenses were variable and arbitrary, and not always having to deal with white women (as is often portrayed).

4. In contrast to people who say (about this and other social justice or equality issues) that we shouldn’t focus on the history or imagery of the noose, but on other “more pressing” issues, Ifill said something along the lines that the noose has come back because it is taboo, and the way to take away its power IS to talk about it, to teach it, and to deal with it when it appears. She had good ideas about how to deal with the topic, from grade school on up.

Definitely worth a listen, and now I have another book to add to my Christmas list…

Comments

6 Responses to ““The historical significance of the noose” on NPR”

Ann on November 7th, 2007 4:52 am

Thanks for this post, Rachel.
Some points you bring out, I beg to differ with you on:

“.newspapers would not cover the event.”

Newspapers DID cover these carnivals of sadist savagery a lot. They would send a reporter to cover the story. In fact, many newspapers would advocate inhumane brutality, and advertise when and where the atrocity would occur, by fanning the flames with racist writing:

-”the ’savage brute’ was apprehended, lynching is imminent”;
-”the ‘wretch’ was accused of ravishing the poor little white girl, and would now pay dearly for his crime”

Newspapers, many of them still in publication [The Atlanta Constitution, for one), alerted lynch mobs when a lynching was to happen.

Newspapers in the South can never be absolved of the hand they had in promoting the lynching that was about to occur.
*********************************************
ATLANTA CONSTITUTION

April 18, 1915

CHARGE WITH STEALING MEAT

VALDOSTA, Ga., April 17–Ceasar Sheffield, a negro (back then they lower-cased the word “Negro” in their disrespect towards black people), prisoner in the town jail at Lake Park, was taken from the prison last night and shot to death by unknown parties.
“No trail has been found of the slayers.” (1)
********************************************

BANGOR (MAINE) COMMERCIAL

September 5, 1899

VISITING SOUTHERN REPORTER DESCRIBES LYNCHINGS SEEN

A veteran reporter on one of the Southern newspapers, who is now visiting this city, gives an interesting account of his experiences in “covering” lynching parties.

“The news that there is to be a lynching”, he begins, “spreads very rapidly in the south, especially in the small cities and towns. To the reporter it is a very disagreeable business to attend these lynchings, for he is usually not very overcome by frenzy like the mob made up from the immediate neighborhood, and so cannot sympathize with its method of procedure.
“I have attended in my capacity as a reporter at least 12 lynchings, and on each of two of these occasions I have seen as many as three negroes lynched.” (1)
*********************************************

Reporters who got wind of an impending lynching rushed to the scene just as fast as the murderers.

They took pictures of the vicious carnage. (Many of the photos of lynchings did not all come from the murderers of the lynch mobs; many were supplied by news photographers, and even the U.S. Post Office had a hand in these sick display of monstrous inhumanity, by allowing postcards of the tortured deaths of human beings to be sent through the federal mail.
*********************************************
Here I also disagree with you:

“If state officials or state police tried to investigate these crimes, they would find no witnesses.”

State officials OFTEN were in on the crime of lynching a black human being. They would step aside and allow their “prisoners” many times to be taken from the jail where they were taken for so-called “safe keeping”; they would knowingly take routes that would take them right into the path of lynch mobs.

They would be participants in the lynch mobs; would see the faces of members of the lynch mob; many would be RELATIVES of members of the lynch mobs.

They could “find no witnesses” because they gave not a damn about the black human beings who were tortured for hours on end, and burned alive.

The statement, death “at the hands of persons unknown” was nothing but a damned hateful lie. These so-called law officials knew many times who committed these depravities against black men, women AND children.

1. “One Hundred Year’s of Lynchings”, by Ralph Ginzburg, Black Classic Press, 1962, 1988.

“Lynching was a terrorist act towards the black (or other minority) communities - it was not just the death, but the torture and mutilation that was the message.”

I agree.

Lynching and mass rapes were both forms of terror isms against the entire black community.

“Most lynchings involved black men accused of killing white men, but the offenses were variable and arbitrary, and not always having to deal with white women (as is often portrayed).”

True.

The great Ida B. Wells-Barnett disproved that lynchings were done to protect white women from “savage” black rapists. Most lynchings were for murder, as you stated, but, many were for the most hateful reasons, as many newspapers articles readily testify:

-”Two Hung for Jostling Horse”
-”Lynch Negro Who testified for Another Negro”;
-”Two Blacks Strung Up; Grave Doubt as to Their Guilt”;
-”Negro Freed, Then Lynched”
-”Negro Eludes Mob; Sister Lynched Instead” (2)

2. Ibid.

“In contrast to people who say (about this and other social justice or equality issues) that we shouldn�t focus on the history or imagery of the noose, but on other �more pressing� issues, Ifill said something along the lines that the noose has come back because it is taboo, and the way to take away its power IS to talk about it, to teach it, and to deal with it when it appears. She had good ideas about how to deal with the topic, from grade school on up.”

Very true.

As long as white-run America runs from the savagery of her racist past towards her black citizens, this country will never be able to reconcile itself towards better race relations.

NOT talking about these sick twisted murders (because that is what they were) will not make them go away.

America needs to own up to the hellish wrongs she has done to her black citizens.

As for the nooses turning up in large numbers, that is only because SOME black-hating people know the history of this country only too well.

They too, like the psychotic racists of the nadir of lynching also want black people to suppress, stifle and shut themselves down.

But, those days are gone.

Black people now can, and will speak up.
April on November 7th, 2007 3:42 pm

Thanks for linking this.
Rachel on November 7th, 2007 6:38 pm

Psst Ann, It was Lyonside.
Lyonside on November 7th, 2007 6:56 pm

Ann: I was just reporting what was said in the interview. I think re: the newspapers, the incidents Ifill was talking about may have been at least undereported, especially later on in the 20th century when at least some people were questioning things (say, the 1940s/1950s).

Re: state officials, Ifill did cite an incident where the governer (not sure what state) did send in the state police specifically to investigate a lynching, and the locals did a total obfuscation of events. But yes, I’m sure that state and even federal agents were complicit in other incidents.

Thanks for the information, as usual - I envy your mad documentation skillz
Ann on November 7th, 2007 9:50 pm

Lyonside, my apologies. I am so used to Rachel posting essays that I have come to take it for granted that she put up this post. (Sorry, Rachel, not trying to take you, Lyonside, or anyone for granted.)

“Ann: I was just reporting what was said in the interview.”

Sorry, it was not you I was angry at, but at this sick, psychotic country’s vicious hatred of her black citizens. That so many white people (as well as the rest of the country, because it was not just only white people who murdered black people in those lynch mobs) could sit back like savages and allow this holocaust to happen…that so much of this country could be so……..dead inside……….

And as a black woman I have all the more right to question a race of people who still wish for the destruction of my people.

Those white people who stood by and did nothing are guilty as well. They have blood on their hands as well.

“I think re: the newspapers, the incidents Ifill was talking about may have been at least undereported, especially later on in the 20th century when at least some people were questioning things (say, the 1940s/1950s).”

Lynchings were not undereported, because if so, a book such as “One Hundred Years” would not exist.

There is much documentation of lynchings as far back as 1880, early 1900s, all the way through the 1960s.

Newspapers overwhelmingly were the key source of information of an impending lynching, right up there with word of mouth.

The reason I state that is because of the many documented cases of lynchings, reported by the newspapers.

Which brings me to my question:

Why is it that so many people (not saying you, Lyonside) are not aware of the book, “One Hundred Years of Lynching”? I hear/read many people referencing the “Sanctuary” book, which is fine, but, never is there any mention of the “Hundred Years” book.

This book is the best resource on newspaper accounts of lynchings from the 1880s all the way up to the 1960s.

There is no dearth of newspaper archives on lynchings. If anything, there is a tremendous amount of newspaper accounts on lynchings.

“One Hundred” has over 100 cases of newspaper articles on lynchings. It is the best resource on archival written reports of lynchings, bar none. I would recommend anyone who wishes to do serious studies of lynchings to buy this book. You cannot go wrong. Where “Sanctuary” stands head and shoulders above books on lynchings with its gruesome photo exhibit as proof positive of the sick hells that one group of human beings can do to another, “One Hundred” stands heads above all others in the written description of white man/woman’s brutal inhumanity to black man/woman.

Once again, mea culpa for not reading first who posted this good post

Anyone who out there who says that there is scant evidence on written documentation of lynchings only has to read “One Hundred Years of Lynchings”.

The scales will be pulled away from ones eyes.

The truth shall be made manifest.

P.S.:
One more ironic statement (at least to me) that is made at the end of “One”. It is a very short newspaper article from the New York Times. I cannot say that I have that much faith in America. Maybe others out there have such faith, but, I cannot fathom America EVER treating her black citizens as human beings, especially on this highest level of recognition in the United States.

Ever.

But,I digress.

Here is the article.

Draw your own conclusions as to whether or not such a thing will ever happen in OUR lifetimes.
*********************************************

NEW YORK TIMES

May 27, 1961

ATTORNEY GENERAL FORESEES A NEGRO AS U.S.PRESIDENT

WASHINGTON, May 26—Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, in a broadcast to the world over the Voice of America, today acknowledged the United States’ imperfections in the areas of equal rights for Negroes. He said, however, that progress was being made in that area so rapidly that “there’s no question that in the next thirty or forty years a Negro can achieve the position. . . .of President of the United States.”

Peace, Lyonside.
froggy on November 10th, 2007 8:38 pm

Two new links in the “racism in media” vein:

On Michael Baisden’s on-air claims that Jena6 defense funds were misappropriated.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-jena_bdnov11,1,5899685.story

Racism is the new reality TV entertainment format.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2007/11/09/ST2007110901719.html?hpid=topnews