HUNG FOREVER
By Siri
Hanging blocks at the National Memorial for Peace and Justice, Montgomery, AL. Erected on April 26, 2018, this memorial represents all of the lynchings that have happened in the US. It is composed of almost 800 steel blocks shaped like coffins. Between 1877 and 1950, more than 4,400 lynchings occurred. This number seems unimaginable in a country that celebrates peace, justice, and equality. Some people were killed because the color of their skin exaggerated the wickedness of their crimes in the eyes of society, while others were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. The memorial is meant to show people how much our country has changed, yet remind us how far we still have to go. Created by EJI, or the Equal Justice Initiative, the memorial shows how intense the Civil Rights movement was and how many people have died fighting for freedom.
When I took this photo I was thinking of all of the people that have had their lives unjustly stolen from them. Many people were wrongly lynched, and at this memorial, the blocks are hanging, symbolizing their untimely death. Usually, when people were hung, you had to look up to see their faces. On these blocks, you have to look up to see the names of the people that were killed. This photo moves the viewer to think of sadness by only showing the silhouettes of the blocks. I edited the photo so that the sky and tree were brighter. The darkness contrasts with the trees and the sky. With the bright sky and trees amidst all of the darkness, it suggests that there can still be hope for a better life in the future. The photo haunts me.