In Memory of The Unnamed Negro

Art & Music By Nathan J Taylor

While researching my family history I discovered that my Great Grandfather went missing in the summer of 1908. During my conversation with the family historian, I learned that the oral history was that he was “run off by white folks.” The mystery of my missing Great Grandfather stewed in my spirit. Why would a successful man with a new wife and newborn child disappear. Was he murdered? It would not be an unusual speculation. Black men that owned businesses and land were often targeted to be lynched during this time. So, I researched several lynching databases to see if I could find his name. I did not find his name, however what I did find was listing after listing of victims documented as “unnamed negro.” Thousands of black men, women and children, kidnapped, tortured and murdered in the most horrific ways that were dutifully documented, but often no name provided.

An Era of Mob Injustice

Lynching were not only acts of hate, but also a display of power and control. White people used these public acts of violence to terrorize and subjugate Black Americans. Lynching happened throughout the United States but mostly in the American South during the 19th and 20th centuries. Often individuals were accused of a crime without due process or a fair trial, then quickly seized by an angry mob and subjected to horrifying cruelty. In addition to hanging victims from trees, lynch mobs often engaged in horrible torture, sometimes even setting their target on fire alive. It was a scene repeated so many times it became almost routine, with crowds gathering to witness the display as if they had come out for entertainment or sport. The reality is that lynching were gruesome public murders that left deep emotional scars on those who witnessed them or had family members destroyed by them. A lynching is a tragedy that should never take place. The public execution of someone without allowing them to receive due process, undertaken by lawless mobs or police officers under the guise of justice, is an unjust and horrifying act.

The American Holocaust Tradition

Across the nation from Reconstruction Era (1865) to the 1960s, white mobs often employed dangerous, nefarious tactics to lynch Black Americans. Of these methods, a particularly wicked one was the fabrication of claims about perceived sexual transgressions against white women by innocent Black men. Many innocent people were mercilessly slaughtered under these false presences solely due to fear rooted in racism and sexism. Unfortunately, this perception also extended beyond sexual impropriety. Accusations of murder, arson, robbery and even vagrancy led to hundreds being murdered extrajudicially without cause or justification. But even more horrifying is those "punished" for simply speaking with less respect than expected by a white person, who felt entitled to their subservience without question. This fact cannot be denied- too many lost their lives because of racial injustice and social customs perpetuated by a corrupted power structure that had reached its damaging peak.

Remembering And Giving Honor to The Unnamed

It is written, when Cain murdered his brother Abel, that God heard Abel’s blood cry out from the ground. I imagine that all the innocent blood spilled on American soil must sound like a chorus. It was as if I could hear their cries as I poured over the information of the lynching databases, with each disheartening detail and photograph, I empathically meditated on the enormity of this tragic reality of our history. I was moved to create an artistic tribute specifically for the unnamed victims. Lynching is an abhorrent practice that has its roots deep in prejudice and discrimination. It is also important to note that some white people were also lynched for helping or supporting Black people or for taking an anti-lynching stance. Additionally, immigrants from Mexico and other countries such as China and Australia were targeted in acts of lynching that targeted minority populations as well.

The Fight Back Against Racism

During The Great Migration of the early twentieth century many Black American fled North and West to escape the terrorism of lynching. This time fueled an important era of grassroots activism against lynching, which had become an all-too familiar terror for Black Americans in the South. Activists used economic boycotts and other tactics to oppose white businesses that supported these crimes, while journalists like Ida B. Wells wrote powerful columns to bring attention to the issue. The momentum of this mobilization also gave rise to many influential civil rights organizations such as the NAACP, which played a vital role in battling racial violence across America. This movement symbolized not only a cultural shift in challenging systemic racism, but also galvanized collective action as Black Americans fought for their civil liberties on multiple fronts.

About The Artwork

During my research and meditation on the subject, I was inspired to honor their memory with an art video. My art videos are mixed media pieces of visual art, animation and music. In this case the music came to me first. The pain I felt for my ancestors was translated in the sound of orchestral strings, the cello, bass and violins, I composed the music digitally. The next step in the creative process was to create the visuals. I used several visual elements in this piece as a collage of art and animation. Screenshots of the actual lynching database listing. Pictures of real headlines from different documented lynching events. Photography from historical collections. I used elements from my original drip painting entitled, “Trail of The Ancestors.” I took images of this black and white acrylic enamel painting and animated it digitally. This brought texture and ghost-like movement to the art piece. I asked Dall-E AI to generate images of unnamed negroes who were victims of lynching in the early 1900s, and I used those generated images as a reference and base for the collage of the art piece. I also used imagery of the American flag, as I visualized it at half-mast in honor of the innocent victims of this American tragedy that was commonplace for over a hundred years.

The Artist’s Reflections

When reflecting on the strife and difficulty of the time, it is impossible not to marvel at the courage and bravery of activists who spoke out against racism and its injustices. These individuals placed themselves in harm's way to defend their beliefs, with little certainty of a successful outcome. Despite the risks they faced, they persisted unyielding in their commitments to right wrongs to ensure a better future for generations yet to come. This undeniable fortitude and strength of character should be admired, commemorated, and taken as an example when working towards justice.

Sources:
https://naacp.org/
Say Their Names: Remembering Lynching Victims 1860 - 1950
https://fpsudbury.org/
https://americanlynchingdata.com/explore.html
www.wikipedia.com
Family documents, letters and oral history.

Thank You For Viewing, Be Well.
-Nathan