This Isn't The First Time: No More Strange Fruit

"Southern trees bear a strange fruit. Blood on the leaves and 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. Scent of magnolias, sweet and fresh. Then the sudden smell of burning flesh...." These lyrics are from the song "Strange Fruit" most famously performed by Billie Holiday and written by Abel Meerpol. These lyrics and this song tell of the haunting tragedies of racism and served as an artistic form of protest of lynchings happening in the United States. Over the past few days, posters around several college campuses, including my own, have been posted by people who may not be aware of the dark past of lynching and racial terror the United States. 

Lynching is one of the many stains on the United States fabric that we cannot fail to acknowledge. During the 19th and 20th century, African-Americans faced angry mobs of white men, women, and children who would terrorize and seek to kill them for unjustified reasons. After the Civil War, lynchings became a prevalent tool  of "maintaining white supremacy in  the economic, social and political spheres" Lynchings were used because of fear of miscegenation, the blending of two racial groups by marriage or sexual intercourse. Thus, propaganda was promoted throughout the South stating that black men were sexual predators, beasts, animals and criminals. They were made in efforts to deter interracial marriage and the mixing of races. This led to biased opinions and fear among Whites about African American citizens. As a result, many African American men were targeted and lynched for even the slightest inclination that he interacted with a White woman. 

Over the past few days, incidents evoking the evils of our past have occurred on college campuses. Not only is this disheartening, but it is terrifying that many people are not aware of the human wrongs committed on American soil. It is upsetting that anyone would even have the audacity to think that this was funny, appropriate, or dignified. As this event is only one representation of the many isolated incidents that have occurred recently  evoking America's eerie past, it is important to recognize the resources, learning opportunities, and events available to help America and the world better understand our past and press on towards the future.

A little over a 100 years ago, the first film played in the White House was, Birth of  A Nation by D.W. Griffith. While the film was a depiction of how Griffith viewed the Civil War and its effects, it too promoted racial injustice and terror. It depicted black men as rapists and savages, and further incited violence against blacks. Below is a clip to that specific scene.

Going forward, I hope whoever came or comes in contact with the flyer of "Why White Women Shouldn't Date Black Men" realizes that it is so much more deeper than a piece of paper. It is the key that unlocks the history of so many of the evils we have tried to hide and forget in America. While we need to confront our history, posting insensitive and dehumanizing literature like this is deplorable. If anyone would like to voice their concerns, comments, questions, or arguments over this post or the poster, please leave them below in the comment section. Discourse is important and your opinion will be respected. 

-JusticeSheWrote 11/16/16