Lynching is the act of hanging a man or woman for alleged offenses, in most cases without a legal trial. Lynching are typically carried out by a large mob, many of the people present do not even know the crimes the individual was accused off, they are just bystanders. In Virginia this was the main form of justice between 1880 and 1930. There were over 90 men hanged (over 4000 world wide), all but a handful were African American. In 1880, Virginia passed the “Lynch Law,” in hopes to assert dominance over the African American population. It was not until the mid 1930’s till an ‘Anti-lynching’ movement was put into place, but till this day there is still no law against it.
In 1935 in Dunnsville, Virginia three (Hill, Lowman, War) interviewers interviewed Aunt Phoebe Boyd. Ms. Boyd was a former slave and participated in the 1930’s WPA slave narratives. During this interview she walked the interviewers through her childhood and teenage years. She told stories in great detail about these years. One story that stuck out to me was when she witnessed her first lynching. She briefly mentioned seeing multiple throughout her years as a slave, but she went into detail about one in particular. She recalled seeing a man on a stage, struggling and crying with a thick rope around his neck, and two police officers standing on the side near a leaver. The police officers were laughing at the man who was about to lose his life. She mentioned how his mother, father and brother stood in the crowd crying in a way she had never seen before. She recited a short prayer for them. People who lived near and people who are just walking by stopped and stood watching. None of them knew the reason why this man was being hung, and no one was bothered enough to ask. One of the interviewers had asked Aunt Phoebe Boyd if they buried the bodies, but she responded that they burned them instead. Ms. Boyd had explained that her faith had made her stronger, and her faith is the reason why she made it through her years as a slave.
Sites:
“Interview with Aunt Phoebe Boyd, Dunnsville, Virginia, 1935 (Part 7 of 8).” The Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/afc1984011_afs25752a.
“An Introduction to the WPA Slave Narratives : Articles and Essays : Born in Slavery: Slave Narratives from the Federal Writers’ Project, 1936-1938 : Digital Collections : Library of Congress.” The Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/collections/slave-narratives-from-the-federal-writers-project-1936-to-1938/articles-and-essays/introduction-to-the-wpa-slave-narratives/.
