The Freedom Center’s new exhibition, Without Sanctuary: Lynching Photography in America, opened today following months of behind-the-scenes preparation and training.  Reactions of initial visitors to the exhibition ranged from “overwhelming” and “important” to “emotionally and physically moving.”

The exhibit, which will be on display through May 31, features some 80 photographs taken at lynching events around the nation from the 1880′s to the 1960′s.  Some of the photos were used on postcards sent in the mail as if depicting a family outing.  Detailed information about the exhibit is available online here.

At a reception and preview event on the evening of January 18, some 300 people were told about how the horror of lynching reverberates through contemporary society in the form of hate crimes — such as the placement of nooses in offices, as a form of intimidation and disrespect.  But, as Freedom Center CEO Donald Murphy told the reception audience, “just as hate can pop up anywhere, like a weed, so too can the spirit of hope and reconciliation.”  Here is coverage of the preview event by our media partner, WKRC-TV, Local 12.

One clarification:  the Freedom Center is not restricting attendance to people over age 14.  We are strongly cautioning parents and caregivers that the images may be too intense for children.  Students coming to the Freedom Center on school field trips must be at least 14 to see Without Sanctuary, and they must have written parental permission.

Among the first to see the exhibition was a group of social media bloggers, who have begun posting their thoughts about how to extend the discussion of the themes of Without Sanctuary into the digital space of the Internet.  Their posts on Twitter can be found by searching #NURFC.