Black History Month

1930's American postcard?

I couldn't help but to pick up a book from my library yesterday titled "Lynching Photographs." The book is an analyzing look at photographs taken during lynchings of African-Americans in the early part of the twentieth century. The featured photo and discussion is of the infamous Lawrence Beitler photograph shown above.

The flash illuminated faces of onlookers in the photo, which includes a pregnant woman in the foreground, reveals as much about this time capsule as the strange fruit hanging from the tree. This photo, taken in 1930, has since been used to depict crimes against humanity worldwide.

In 1918 U.S. Congressman L.C. Dyer introduced an anti-lynching bill that would make the crime a federal felony. The bill passed in the house of representatives in 1922 but was defeated in the senate. It would take 83 years for an anti-lynching bill to be passed by both U.S. houses thereby making lynching a federal crime. It is stated in the book that the horrifying photos of lynchings played a huge part in getting the bill passed into law in 2005.

Never underestimate the power of pictures or the conscience of men to bring about change, even if that change doesn't come for eight decades and a trey.

Though February is the month to showcase past African-American accomplishments I felt compelled to post this piece of American history as a way to highlight the enduring courage of African-Americans in the face of racial prejudice as practiced by a faction of the majority class of American citizens and the government. Through sheer negligence, the government endorsed the actions of lynching mobs. In one photo I came across, not in this book, the town Sheriff with badge, billy club and all, was part of the crowd gawking at the strange fruit pictured hanging from a poplar tree.

Also see: A Lynching in the Heartland: Race and Memory in America
STRANGE FRUIT
Lyrics by: Lewis Allan aka Abel Meeropol (Jewish-American)
Originally sung by: Billie Holiday
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Southern trees bear strange fruit
Blood on the leaves
Blood at the root
Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze
Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees
Pastoral scene of the gallant south
The bulging eyes and the twisted mouth
The scent of magnolia sweet and fresh
Then the sudden smell of burning flesh
Here is a fruit for the crows to pluck
for the rain to gather
for the wind to suck
for the sun to rot
for the tree to drop
Here is a strange and bitter crop