Some people do not want to talk about the history of lynching. They want to equate lynching with the “normal” type of murders that occur in every society. Others make the argument that it happened in the past, so our generation should not dwell on it. They believe it does not apply to our present time.

By paying attention to the news, on the other hand, it appears that many people still do invoke the idea of lynching someone for swift retribution. And they do so in a casual manner. Use this activity to dig further.

    The following are links to eight news articles that appeared in the press over the span of approximately one year, from November 2016 to January 2018. You don’t need to read every article — instead, divide into small groups that each examine one or two of them. In your small group, analyze the circumstances of each case (about 10-15 minutes) using the questions provided. Then report back your findings to the class.

 
Click each headline to explore the incident: