When Frank Embree found out he was accused of raping a white woman, and was being pursued, he fled. But he was unlucky - a white mob captured him, whipped him over 100 times seeking a confession (which he did not give), then hanged him.
This is a common story in our history - but the way whites proudly celebrated murders like Frank’s is incredibly disturbing.
Whites attended lynchings like they were festivals or picnics, often bringing children.
What’s even more sinister? They took photographs of the murders, put them on postcards, and sent them to loved ones - with unsettling messages attached.
“This is the barbecue we had last night,” writes one man on the back of a postcard featuring a hung and burned corpse. “My picture is to the left.”
“This is a token of a great day we had in Dallas,” reads another. Hundreds of these postcards were mailed across America so white people could revel in the brutality and dehumanization of Black bodies.
What happened to the children attending these lynchings? Their children and grandchildren are among us today.
The next time you witness a white person calling 911 on Black people for no reason, read about another cop killing one of us, or hear of a racist mass shooter, remember that the apple doesn’t often fall far from the hangman’s tree.