Strange Fruit Performed By Billie Holiday, Composed by Lewis Allen Heard by all of America.
Dec 16, 2015
Terms of Racism and Bigotry
• Murder: the crime of unlawfully killing a person esp. with malice aforethought
• Lynch: to put to death by mob action without legal sanction or due process of law.
• Terrorism: the systematic use of fear, panic, and horror esp. as a means of coercion.
Statistics of Lynching
Based on Reported Articles in Newspapers
Between 1882-1951
• 4,730 people were lynched in the United States:
• 3,437 Negro and 1,293 white
» 92 Women: 76 Negro, 16 White
• After preaching a sermon condemning Klan-cross -
burning near Berkley, Michigan, a Detroit suburb, Reverend Oren Van Loon received this indelible
souvenir in 1924.• He was branded by hooded attackers with “KKK” at home in
the middle of the night.• He was considered lucky to
have lived.
Common Illegal and Immoral Justifications for Lynching
• Murder• Rape & Attempted Rape• Assault (even in self-defense)• An Insult to a White Woman• Disputing (arguing) with a White Man• Attempting to Register to Vote• Testifying against a White Man• Peeking in a Window
Victims were accused, but never received trials for…
22% of reported lynchings were a result of “nameless crimes” = no reason