The word “picnic” has been popularly associated with white people “picking a nigger” to lynch. While this has been proven to be 100% untrue, there actually IS a harsh truth about picnics and their impact on Black people. And it’s nearly as horrible.
Historically, when a Black person was lynched, whites created a party-like atmosphere that included meals and celebrations. Sometimes there were even souvenirs taken from mutilated Black bodies, or photos turned into postcards, kept as family relics! It gets worse.
Often there was a lot of effort put into these mob murders of Black people, including making one lynching victim ride on a parade float before his death! These acts were about controlling Black people through terror in order to maintain the lie of white supremacy.
So what’s this have to do with picnics?
When white people gathered to murder Black people, the atmosphere was carefree and happy! It was seen as a nice day out for children and families, who gathered in parks and sat in the grass. Witnessing Black death was as normal and fun as going for a picnic.
Though the word “picnic” itself has nothing specifically to do with lynching, it does draw an association between white supremacy’s desire to normalize and even celebrate Black death – something that continues, in different forms, today.