RACISM
Racial Violence & Midwest Jim Crow
Lynchings
The Midwest was the site of several of the most gruesome and infamous lynchings in American history.
The Midwest was the site of some 152 lynchings from 1882 to 1968, the vast majority in the lower Midwest states of Missouri, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Kansas. Midwest lynchings, though far fewer in number than in the South, were among the most gruesome and infamous in American history.
Lynchings
The Midwest was the site of several of the most gruesome and infamous lynchings in American history.
The Midwest was the site of some 152 lynchings from 1882 to 1968, the vast majority in the lower Midwest states of Missouri, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Kansas. Midwest lynchings, though far fewer in number than in the South, were among the most gruesome and infamous in American history.
Mass Racial Violence
Racist violence has confronted African Americans in the Midwest from the very beginning.
Cincinnati 1829. Chicago 1919. Detroit 1943 and 1967. Mass violence has been a horrific feature of Midwest history, as chronicled by Ida B. Wells in a forgotten text.
Mass Racial Violence
Racist violence has confronted African Americans in the Midwest from the very beginning.
Cincinnati 1829. Chicago 1919. Detroit 1943 and 1967. Mass violence has been a horrific feature of Midwest history, as chronicled by Ida B. Wells in a forgotten text.
Police Brutality
African Americans' resistance to the violence of enslavers and other racists during the Fugitive Slave Act era has been aided by some anti-racist Midwest allies.
The tradition of police violence and endangerment of Black Midwesterners has a history of over 200 years, dating at least to the 1829 Cincinnati Riot.
Police Brutality
African Americans' resistance to the violence of enslavers and other racists during the Fugitive Slave Act era has been aided by some anti-racist Midwest allies.
The 2020 murder of George Floyd and 2014 killing of Michael White in Ferguson focused national and world attention on police brutality against African Americans in the Midwest. The tradition of police violence and endangerment of Black Midwesterners has a history of over 200 years, dating at least to the 1829 Cincinnati Riot.
Violence Against Black Trans/GNC Individuals
The history of the Midwestern African American LGBTQ+ community, like Black Midwest history generally, has been one of repression, resistance, and resilience.
This map documents forty-one murders of of Black trans+ individuals in the Midwest between 1996–2022. Sadly, this does not represent an exhaustive compilation, as such crimes often go unreported and unsolved. When these tragedies do receive media attention, law enforcement and news outlets often deadname and misgender the victim. In honoring the deceased and their humanity, these individuals are identified by their correct names and pronouns.
Violence Against Black Trans/GNC Individuals
The history of the Midwestern African American LGBTQ+ community, like Black Midwest history generally, has been one of repression, resistance, and resilience.
This map documents forty-one murders of of Black trans+ individuals in the Midwest between 1996–2022. Sadly, this does not represent an exhaustive compilation, as such crimes often go unreported and unsolved. When these tragedies do receive media attention, law enforcement and news outlets often deadname and misgender the victim. In honoring the deceased and their humanity, these individuals are identified by their correct names and pronouns.