Lynching Exhibit

* Re “An Obsessive Quest to Make People See,” Aug. 27: For someone who has spent substantial time thinking about lynching in the United States, James Allen’s statement, “There are just some sorry-ass white people in this world,” falls short in its power to explain the purpose of lynching. Lynching was used as a potent form of social control. Lynching was a statement trumpeting the ultimate power of white men and a crude form of advertising, alerting black citizens that, in the wake of emancipation, they would do well to “know their place” and act accordingly.

As an openly gay man in the United States, Allen does, I think, understand that such controls continue to be exercised today against various peoples, formally (laws against gay marriages) and informally (racial profiling).

JOSHUA LAZERSON

Encinitas

*

Thank you, thank you, for publishing J.R. Moehringer’s powerful article. It is true that as a gay white male I can especially relate to Allen’s quest in documenting a history of a brutal injustice, but I believe his efforts are a gift to every American who dares to confront past and present hatred.

I only wish my maternal great-grandfather’s ceremonial Klan robes hadn’t disappeared from the family’s “heirlooms,” for I’d send them directly to Allen. We all must face the pain inflicted or endured by our forefathers--we must all strive to aid the healing process.

DANIEL NAUMAN

Long Beach

*

Allen peddles his black holocaust product, his voice husky with rehearsed emotion. How does he explain his money-making venture? He “bonded” with his family’s poor, black housekeeper. He’s gay and feels pain akin to what blacks feel. “There are just some sorry-ass white people in this world.” To paraphrase a line from “The Grapes of Wrath”: “If there’s a buck to be made, James Allen will be there.”

SCOTT CHANDLER

Los Angeles

*

The article not only reminded me of how racism can incite some of the most senseless and barbaric acts that darken the pages of our history against African Americans, but that racism and the tools of racism (lynching) can fuel hatred against countless others.

Lynching and racism are not a regional anomaly. It happened here in the City of Angels in a forgotten bit of our city history to another group of people. On Oct. 24, 1871, hundreds of rampaging whites, in an act of revenge or “justice,” attacked countless Chinese immigrants in this fair city. They hanged and dragged by the necks until they were dead over 20 Chinese immigrants near a long-forgotten street, ironically named Calle de Los Negros. Just as in other lynchings, the culprits were never brought to justice.

Regardless of what Allen’s motives may be, if these pictures can make us all see, then they have achieved something worthwhile.

ALBERT M. CHIN

Lake Forest

*

Never has an article affected me so much. I finished the last page in tears. I was full of anger and disbelief as I contemplated the stories Allen told. These people must be aliens; surely no human could perform such horribly cruel acts. You honor Allen’s work by making us see what we would sometimes prefer never to know.

JULIE L. KERCHER

San Marcos