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Without Sanctuary: Special Exhibit

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Tamika Maddox

Coming across a photograph of a white man hanging dead from a tree, James Allen unknowingly stumbled upon one of the most hidden facts of American history.  This fact is the lynching of men, women, and children from the Reconstruction Era to the 1950s.  Driven to know more, Allen, an antiques dealer from Atlanta, Georgia, embarked on a search that would encompass more than 20 years of his life.  The result of his search is a collection of more than 100 photographs and postcards depicting the lynching of a few of the thousands of men, women, and children who met death at the hands of white citizens who took the law into their own hands.  These photographs and postcards not only capture the lifeless, tortured bodies of the deceased, but also the mobs of citizens who were participating in these "festivities" by either committing the violent acts or coming to watch them.  Without Sanctuary:  Lynching Photography in America is a collection of some of the photographs and postcards that Allen acquired during his 20+ years of collecting the materials.

We encourage you to visit this special project at the Warhol Museum as did the following SIS students.  Here are their reactions:
 

This is a landmark exhibit which has made a great impact and will continue to do so by all that see it.  First, it is a record of our collective history, which has too often been lost, covered up or forgotten.  If only for the reason that those who forget history are condemned to repeat it, the exhibit must be seen.  But, it is also an important reminder that today these events do continue.  While most of the victims of the period were black or Jewish, today these crimes are perpetuated against primarily Gays, Lesbians and transgendered people like Matthew Shepard and Brandon Teena.  As long as people are classified by their oppressors as subhuman these atrocities will continue.  Only when each individual comes to understand that all people are fundamentally the same as one another can we rise above this hatred and abuse to live morally and ethically positive lives.  This exhibit can provide a dialogue to move forward and explore these ideas.

Without Sanctuary was very disturbing, but so important.  I was horrified by the images of hanged, beaten, mutilated, and burned bodies of black people, and almost more horrified by the smug, happy faces of the white mobs who participated in these crimes against humanity.  I know they (the white mob members) were human beings, but it was so hard for me to see their humanity.  What makes a person regress to such a base, primitive level all in the name of "superiority?"  I wonder if they could see themselves through the lens of others would they not be horrified at their actions, their own happy dispositions in the face of evil.  I guess the real challenge is not to let my anger deny them of their place in the human family.  That would be too easy.  Instead, I must do the hard work of working toward solutions and mutual respect and understanding to prevent acts of violence, all in the name of hatred, from happening again.

As I walking through the Without Sanctuary exhibit, I could not help but say a little prayer for each and every victim in the photographs and postcards hoping that they all have a warm spot in heaven.

The Without Sanctuary exhibit is one that I will never forget.  Within it is proof of the barbaric practices by American "citizens" who claim that they were protecting the womanhood of the South.  These are the same people who consider African Americans beast-like and sex-crazed brutes.  I recommend this exhibit to all who want to know the truth about American history.  We as a country have been taught a sugar-coated version of history which depicts whites as superior, God-like people.  This exhibit reveals the naked, ghostly truth about the so-called superior white race.  I suggest that if you want to know or want to make sure your children know the true history of America, that they go to the Andy Warhol Museum and see the Without Sanctuary exhibit.

I was a quiet onlooker.   I stood and watched mobs of people glare at men (and in one case a woman) as they were brutally persecuted.  I pondered how many of the lynched were actually guilty of the alleged crimes for which they were hanged.  I wondered why there were small children in attendance, witnesses to the massacres.  I queried over how many black men walked in fear as they went about their daily lives.  As I walked through the exhibit I felt pain.  I felt anger.  I felt frustration.  I felt that we should never have to relive these horrific moments in America's history.
 

If you have seen the Without Sanctuary exhibit and would like to contribute your reaction to Bibliofile please e-mail your submission to Bibliofile@mail.sis.pitt.edu.
 
 

The opinions expressed in the student reactions do not necessarily reflect the viewpoints of the School of Information Sciences at the University of Pittsburgh. 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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Last updated August 8, 2001