Black Lives Matter

The collection presents a review of African American history and culture, "spanning almost one hundred years from the early nineteenth through the early twentieth centuries, with the bulk of the material published between 1875 and 1900." (Library of Congress)

Equal Justice Initiative has documented the lynchings of over 4,000 African Americans between 1877 and 1950. Website has audio stories, films, maps, and more about this painful part of US history.

For African Americans, the murder of Till was evidence of the decades-old codes of violence exacted upon Black men and women for breaking the rules of white supremacy in the Deep South. Particularly for Black males, who found themselves under constant threat of attack or death for sexual advances towards white women – mostly imagined – Till’s murder reverberated a need for immediate change. Carolyn Bryant testified in court that Till had grabbed her hand, and after she pulled away, he followed her behind the counter, clasped her waist, and using vulgar language, told her that he had been with white women before. At 82, some 60 years later, Bryant, confessed to Duke University professor Timothy B. Tyson that she had lied about this entire event.

The riot broke out as so many others have broken out: following a white woman’s claim that black men had wronged her. Rumors ran wild as white mobs assaulted black residents who in turn fought back, refusing to be intimidated