Lynching in Virginia - American South by Gianluca de Fazio

Book Synopsis

Uncovering the history and examining the legacy of lynching in the state of Virginia

Although not as associated with lynching as other southern states, Virginia has a tragically extensive history with these horrific crimes. This important volume examines the more than one hundred people who were lynched in Virginia between 1866 and 1932. Its diverse set of contributors--including scholars, journalists, activists, and students--recover this wider history of lynching in Virginia, interrogate its legacy, and spotlight contemporary efforts to commemorate the victims of racial terror across the commonwealth. Together, their essays represent a small part of the growing effort to come to terms with the role Virginia played in perpetuating America's national shame.

Review Quotes

A needed volume of community-oriented public history that draws Virginia into an important conversation about the South, complicating, extending, and enriching a dialog that is as essential for understanding the past as it is for charting a path forward.--Seth Kotch, University of North Carolina, author of Lethal State: A History of the Death Penalty in North Carolina

About the Author

Gianluca De Fazio is Associate Professor of Justice Studies at James Madison University.