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On the Courthouse Lawn

Confronting the Legacy of Lynching in the Twenty-first Century

Author: Sherrilyn A Ifill

Concrete ways for communities with histories of racial violence to move toward reconciliation
Nearly 5,000 black Americans were lynched between 1890 and 1960, and as Sherrilyn Ifill argues, the effects of this racial trauma continue to resound. While the lynchings were devastating, the little-known contemporary consequences, such as the marginalization of political and economic development for blacks, are equally pernicious. Ifill traces the lingering effects of two lynchings in Maryland to illustrate how ubiquitous this history is, and she issues a clarion call for the many American communities with histories of racial violence to be proactive in facing this legacy.

Inspired by South Africa's Truth and Reconciliation Commission and techniques of restorative justice, Ifill provides concrete ideas for communities, including placing gravestones on the unmarked burial sites of lynching victims, issuing public apologies, establishing mandatory school programs on the local history of lynching, financially compensating those whose family homes or businesses were destroyed in the aftermath of lynching, and creating commemorative public spaces. A landmark book, On the Courthouse Lawn is a much-needed roadmap to help communities finally confront lynching's long shadow by embracing pragmatic reconciliation and reparation efforts.

Praise for On the Courthouse Lawn

"On the Courthouse Lawn is an elegantly written and persuasively argued case for local communities to confront their history of lynching and racial violence as a means of healing race relations." —Mary Frances Berry, Geraldine R. Segal Professor of American Social Thought and Professor of History, University of Pennsylvania

"In calm, objective, but no less moving detail, Ifill's book provides the stories that illuminate the photographs and postcards of lynchings."—Derrick Bell, author of Faces at the Bottom of the Well

"Professor Ifill has written a sobering and eye opening book on one of America's darkest secrets. On the Courthouse Lawn offers a compelling examination of lynchings, and describes the failure of people and institutions to adequately address one of America's tragedies. Racial amnesia would suggest we forget this history. Professor Ifill assures us that we can't—and should not—forget it. This is a must read for anyone willing to examine our history carefully and learn from it." —Professor Charles J. Ogletree, Jr., Executive Director of the Charles Hamilton Houston Institute for Race and Justice

Reviews

Review: Kirkus, starred review - February 15, 2007

“An intriguing, immodest proposal that itself warrants discussion—and action.”

On the Courthouse Lawn

Confronting the Legacy of Lynching in the Twenty-first Century

Reviews

Goodreads reviews

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