Choose to be Curious Ep. #53: A Double Take on Lynching, with Susan Strasser & Marcia E. Cole
May 1, 2018
In this engaging discussion, award-winning historian Susan Strasser teams up with poet Marcia E. Cole, who advocates for literacy through the arts. They tackle the complex history of lynching in the U.S., emphasizing the need for curiosity to confront uncomfortable truths. The duo explores how art can shape our understanding of historical violence and the importance of remembering past injustices to avert their recurrence. They also share compelling analogies that highlight curiosity's transformative power in understanding both history and contemporary society.
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Curiosity Defies Racism
- Curiosity is fundamentally linked to imagining other people's lives and humanity.
- Racism, prejudice, and stereotyping stem from incuriosity and inability to see others' perspectives.
Poetic Imagination of Lynching
- Marcia Cole imagines the victim and the victim's loved ones to inspire her poetry.
- She shared poems reflecting the human connections and personal grief behind lynching images.
Complex Definitions of Lynching
- Lynching varies from secret killings to spectacle events with thousands watching.
- Legally, lynching definitions require killing, illegality, multiple perpetrators, and alleged justice pretext.