Without Sanctuary: Lynching Photography in America Opens on January 19
The National Underground Railroad Freedom Center and its Senior Exhibition Partners, including BRIDGES for a Just Community, the Ohio Chapter of the NAACP, and the Urban League of Cincinnati, announced today a collaborative partnership to present an exhibition on the history of lynching in America from the 1870s to the 1960s.
The exhibition, entitled Without Sanctuary: Lynching Photography in America, will be on display from January 19 through May 31, 2010 in the Freedom Center’s Jack H. Skirball Changing Exhibit Gallery. Related educational materials and programs will be available online at www.freedomcenter.org and an extensive series of programs is being scheduled to coincide with the exhibition.
Without Sanctuary was previously shown — to large crowds — in New York City, Pittsburgh, Detroit, Chicago, Jackson MS and Atlanta. The exhibition’s centerpiece is a collection of photographs, postcards and memorabilia that were taken at various lynching events in the United States in the early decades of the 20th Century. These images, many of which were made into postcards and sent through the mail, often depicted crowds of onlookers who appear to be celebrating the brutal spectacle. Although the killings were not confined to a period, place, or race, an estimated 5,000 African-Americans died by lynching between 1882 and 1968.
Donald Murphy, the Freedom Center’s CEO and President, said the Freedom Center has three goals in showing Without Sanctuary:
“One is to look back at a violent period of American history, a second is to bear witness to the atrocities that occurred, and our third goal is to keep watch over those without sanctuary today. In looking back, Without Sanctuary: Lynching Photography in America reveals real victims who deserve acknowledgement and honor. By bearing witness, the exhibition provides a good understanding of race in America and should engage the community in a sustainable dialogue about race. And, finally, the exhibition teaches lessons that allow us to remain vigilant and courageous in taking steps for freedom today,” Murphy said.
Robert C. “Chip” Harrod, President and CEO of BRIDGES for a Just Community, said the Freedom Center is the ideal venue to show Without Sanctuary as well as a “safe house” to conduct the ensuing community discussions the exhibition will provoke.
“We realize that dealing with such topics as lynching will create conflicting reactions, perhaps even anger on the part of some, yet this period of history led to the creation of several seminal civil rights organizations, including the NAACP, the National Urban League, and our own BRIDGES for a Just Community — previously the National Conference of Christians and Jews (NCCJ),” Harrod stated. “At a time when genocide continues to plague the world, violent hate crimes are increasing around the country, and a brutal display of a noose is used to harass an African American student right here in our own community, we believe that educating people about this chapter in our history will ultimately result in a better understanding about the past, which will in turn foster a sense of healing and a commitment to protecting basic human rights.”
In preparation for the opening of Without Sanctuary, the Freedom Center has organized a Community Partners Council (CPC) to foster dialogue about the exhibition’s meaning, purpose and messages. To date, the following organizations have joined the CPC:
BRIDGES for a Just Community (Senior Partner)
Greater Cincinnati Urban League
Housing Opportunities Made Equal
Council on American-Islamic Relations
Greater Cincinnati Advocates for Darfur
Cincinnati Museum Center
Cincinnati Art Museum
Episcopal Diocese of Southern Ohio
Community Healing Circles
Cincinnati Human Relations Commission
Friends of the Harriet Beecher Stowe House
Edward B. Brueggeman Center for Dialogue, Xavier University
Northern Kentucky University Office of African American Student Affairs
Tentative Partners include:
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Incorporated, Delta Gamma Lambda Chapter
Center for Holocaust and Humanity Education
Jewish Community Relations Council
Greater Cincinnati Coalition for the Homeless
League of United Latin American Citizens
Intercommunity Justice and Peace Center
Hispanic Chamber of Commerce
Cincinnati Enquirer
Council of Christian Communions of Greater Cincinnati
Equality Cincinnati
Boone County Schools
I wish the exhibit would come to Southern California. Is that possible?
You fine folks really are doing a
great job! Here in detroit The Last Stop before crossing to Canada
we seem to have dropped the ball as far as acknowledging our history ! The oldest Black church
here (only blocks away from the river!)recieved anew fascade for the superbowl though the roof continues to leak ! The candidate
forums have continued over the years.However,if the Naacp is exist here you’d never know until they have their annual dinner at the convention center that was taken over by an entity outside of detroit!
I own, Without Sanctuary: Lynching Photography in America, and I will be making the trip to Cincinnati to see the exhibit. The exhibit should travel the entire U.S.! This would be amazing! Everyone should get the book or try to make it to a showing. So many people are walking around without much knowledge of this chapter in our history and it’s devastating.
whilst I believe that this a agreat exhibit for history. a better one would be one on black on black crime among young black men. the racist of the past have nothing on the violence commited today by these young men. the KKK could never have done what is being done today in the black community.
I don’t see how that’s relevant. One is about racism, hate, and shocking images of the prideful lynchers. The other is mostly a crime of opportunity that has to do with demographics rather than racism.
John, perhaps in the future your attempts at trolling will be much better thought out.
For those that don’t have the discretionary funds for the entrance fee, the entire display is online at… http://www.withoutsanctuary.org
Although the images at withoutsanctuary.org are similar and in some instances identical to those shown in the Freedom Center’s exhibition, there are significant differences that make a visit worth the time, effort and money. Our exhibition team has created a compelling environment for the lynching images — muted tones, extra space so that visitors have the room to quietly examine each image, and appropriate background music. Our exhibition also includes a special section focusing on the history of lynching in Ohio, and there is also a space for visitors to sit and contemplate what they are seeing — we call it the Respite Space. When visitors complete their tour of Without Sanctuary, they have multiple opportunities to describe their thoughts and reactions, including journals, a video comment, and writing their impressions on a whiteboard.
In a perfect world, we wouldn’t have to charge an admission to see Without Sanctuary or, indeed, to see all the exhibits at the Freedom Center. But admissions help defray the cost of bringing Without Sanctuary to Cincinnati and associated expenses of physically creating what we feel is one of the most impactful museum experiences in Cincinnati’s history.
I plan on seeing it 1-30-2010 with my little cousin and I think that all kids need to see it they hung little kids and our kids need to see it have not even been that long. I can’t believe it was still happening in the 60′s but yes I can because believe it or not I went to visit my uncle in Penn in 1976 and they still had the for color fountain only and for white only fountain and that was in1976 and that haven’t even been long
I am impressed with your work on this subject and would like to volunteer or get involved in your project. I think this is an excellent approach to archiving our history.
V. Sessoms
First I want to commend the initiative of the Freedom Center to expose its visitors of the horrific struggle of American especially the African Americans. However the exhibit, “Without Sanctuary”, didn’t reach its optimal level of effectiveness in education. I feel as though the exhibit divorced lynching from its historical context. This is done when the exhibit failed to Mention the author of lynching, Willie Lynch. The practice of lynching was just a physiological affliction that served to affect the psychological stability of slaves.
Since it has taken lynching out of its historical context it cannot be comprehended by the contemporary mind seeing that we today are so far removed. It will then keep us ignorant of its affect on society today.
Thankyou
This exhibit allows a glimpse in to the attitudes and frame of mind and values that was the foundation of the exploitative mind of the segregationists. It is an evil mindset and psychology that allowed the objectification of human beings. It is the vile and reprehensible side of humanity that may be alive in in a less overt manner in the hearts of many today especially in the South.
I visited the museum today and I am so glad that I was able to tour the exhibit – “Without Sanctuary”. I have told so many people about the very candid postcards. My jaw is still on the exhibit floor. I was familiar with lynching, but not really the sportsmanship behind it. The museum did an AWESOME job speaking for the lynched, the silenced, the scared, and the spectators. It made me think about my grandmother born in 1910 in Arkansas. If the exhibit comes closer to me I will go again with even more people.
Does anyone know if this exhibit will be traveling to other cities after it closes? If so, could you let me know where and when it will be shown? I’d like to see it but I don’t live near Cincinnati.
Thank you!
Where will the exhibit be traveling
to next.
The work you are doing is great. I would like to talk to someone about a old book that i have. It has a partial listing of approximately 5,000 negoes lynched in United States since 1859. This is one of the names in the book, Daniel Ahren,Greensboro Georgia Apr.6 1894.It also a lot of news clippings about diff. Lynching, New York World December 7 1899 ROASTED ALIVE MAYSVILLE, Dec. 6 Richard Coleman, a twenty year old colored boy was burned at the stake.