Educational Media Reviews Online

The lynching of African-Americans by their White countrymen was an all too common occurrence in the United States for many decades. This film examines lynching as it existed in the first half of the 20th century, and points out that it was far more pervasive and cruel than is widely believed. More importantly, it shows how lynching still goes on in America today!

The film opens with images of lynching, Ku Klux Klan rallies and violent crime scenes, run one after another in rapid succession. This is a foretaste of what the rest of the film holds. Different cases are examined in gruesome detail. In Georgia in the early 1930’s, a pregnant African-American woman named Mary Tyler protested the lynching of her husband. She was then lynched herself, during which she was hung by her heals and set on fire! Similar instances are recounted, including that of James Bird, in Jasper, Texas in 1998. Mr. Bird was chained to the end of a pickup truck by three white men, and then drug behind it until he died. He, as with most lynching victims, was guilty of no crime. The story of James Cameron is prominent in the film. In Marion, Illinois in 1930, he and two of his friends were falsely accused of the murder of a white couple. His friends were beaten and lynched. Cameron would have been lynched himself, had he not been saved by the local Sheriff. Though his life was spared, he was convicted of murder and sent to prison. To showcase his story and that of other lynching victims, he would many years later open the Black Holocaust Museum in Wisconsin. There the histories of atrocities committed against African-Americans are exhibited.

Lynchings were widespread in the U.S. until after World War II. Those who carried them out did not treat them as crimes, to be done in secret, but as public spectacles of which they were quite proud. People brought their children to watch them, businesses gave employees time off to attend, and newspapers even advertised them in advance. Police often participated, or helped to facilitate. Postcards showing the lynchings were frequently mailed to loved ones, as souvenirs. These were not just killings, but celebrations of torture, where the death of the person was prolonged as much as possible for the pleasure of the crowd. They were in fact acts of terrorism, designed to frighten African-Americans into accepting the extreme discrimination they were subject to at that time, and in some cases still are today.

This film is moving, informative and creatively done. The sound and picture are good, and it is provided with an effective narration. Both the narration and the various interviews are in English, and there are no subtitles of any kind. If the film has a weakness, it is that it’s too short! At a length of only 22 minutes it doesn't provide as much background and detail as it could. Focus shifts frequently throughout the film from Cameron’s story to that of other individuals, and then back to Cameron again. Some may feel this is distracting, while others may find it engaging. In spite of its length and structure, this film provides a compelling introduction to the subject of lynching, and is well worth watching. It is suitable for high school, undergraduate or graduate students. Those studying African-American history or current affairs, political science, sociology, civil rights, or American history will find it the most useful.

Highly Recommended