Overview
Without Sanctuary is a harrowing compilation of photographs and postcards documenting lynchings in the United States... James Allen, a collector of these images, alongside contributors like Hilton Als, exposes the brutal reality of lynching as public spectacles and tools of white supremacy.
Historical Context
Lynching served as a mechanism of racial control, particularly during Jim Crow... The book situates lynching within broader systemic racism, highlighting figures like Ida B. Wells...
Content and Structure
The book features over 100 photographs, many turned into postcards... Notable examples include the 1916 Waco, Texas, lynching of Jesse Washington...
Themes
1. Racial Terror and Complicity: The photos implicate ordinary citizens...
2. Dehumanization: Victims were often depicted as monstrous...
3. Memory and Accountability: Challenges America’s amnesia...
Reception and Impact
Upon release, Without Sanctuary sparked dialogue on race... Exhibitions drew large audiences... Influence persists in movements like Black Lives Matter.
Conclusion
Without Sanctuary is a vital, if unsettling, historical document... Embodies Congressman Lewis’s assertion: “We must never forget, lest we repeat.”
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