Essay On Lynchings In America

Racism in America is a topic that has been manipulated and molded to swing others on what really happens in this country. African Americans specifically have undergone gruesome physical treatment such as lynching for crimes that they may have or may have not committed and often crucified by the color of their skin, just for speaking to a white person. Many of these lynchings where publically done to make a mockery of the victims and as a forewarning to other African Americans. Approximately starting in 1882, many organizations and researchers have attempted to keep track of these crimes, but didn’t succeed in bringing forth an accurate number of lynchings. Between 1877 and 1950, in the 12 Southern states, the Equal Justice Initiative reported 3,959 victims of racial directed lynchings. Bryan Stevenson, the founder of the Equal Justice Initiative released this report to bring attention to these acts, to work toward bringing an accurate number of lynchings and establish permanent memorial markers for the victims. …show more content…
Comparing his report to the others over the years such as The Chicago Tribune, the Tuskegee Institute, N.A.A.C.P. and sociologists, Stewart Tolany and E.M. Beck’s report, EJI’s report revealed 700 names that were not on the previous lists. Professor Beck of University of Georgia, believes that this proves that the amount of racial violence is underestimated, how we don’t realize how many there were, and how close these places may have been. Without organizations like the EJI to gather information on these lynchings, many wouldn’t know just how serious and widespread these lynchings were or who were victims of it. Some witnesses of the publically displayed deaths of blacks, are still residents in an area, but won’t speak on it, like the Arthur brothers of Paris, Texas, who were tied to a flagpole and set on fire in