Podcast Summary: "Acontece que no es poco | EEUU y los linchamientos de negros: su deporte nacional"

Podcast: Todo Concostrina (SER Podcast)
Host: Nieves Concostrina
Air Date: May 17, 2022

Overview

In this episode, Nieves Concostrina explores the horrifying history of lynching in the United States, particularly the lynching of Black people, framing it as a “national sport.” The discussion is both historical and critical, examining the roots of the practice, its evolution after the Civil War, and the shameful delay in officially outlawing it as a federal crime—a change that only came in 2022. The conversation is frank, direct, and unflinching, focusing on the complicity of society, media, and institutions in perpetuating racist violence.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Delayed Federal Ban on Lynching

• Main Point: It wasn’t until March 2022 that lynching became a federal crime in the U.S., despite over a century of activism.
  • Nieves Concostrina: “¿Cómo es posible que el linchamiento no haya sido declarado por el Congreso de Estados Unidos delito federal hasta marzo de este año?” [01:35]
• The legislation is named after Emmett Till, a 14-year-old Black boy brutally murdered in 1955 for allegedly whistling at a white woman.

2. The Origins and Definition of Lynching

• The term "lynching" originates from Charles Lynch, a Virginia landowner during the U.S. War of Independence who set up his own "courts" and dispensed swift, violent vigilante justice.
  • “La palabra viene de un nombre, Charles Lynch, un terrateniente de Virginia... se inventó un tribunal doméstico...” [02:33]
• Originally, the victims included whites, but after the Civil War, lynching targeted almost exclusively Black people, especially in the South.

3. Post-Civil War Racism and Mass Psychosis

• Lynching became a tool for the white population to reinforce racial hierarchy following the emancipation of enslaved people.
  • “Ver a los negros como hombres libres en el sur de Estados Unidos... disparató a los blancos, les volvió del revés.” [04:31]
• Racist myths, like the false notion that Black men threatened white women, fueled these acts.
• Grisly trophies were taken from victims as status symbols, notably the severed genitalia of Black men.

4. Everyday Triggers and Pervasive Terror

• Accusations that led to lynching ranged from alleged sexual assaults (mostly false), to minor interactions like accidentally brushing against or speaking to a white woman.
  • “Era por supuestas violaciones o por silbar a una mujer blanca... o por rozarla sin querer...” [05:48]

5. The Role and Complicity of the Press

• Newspapers didn’t merely report on lynchings—they publicized and normalized them, sometimes even announcing the time and place in advance.
  • Nieves: “Fueron cooperadores necesarios... la vergonzosa prensa contribuyó a convertir los linchamientos en espectáculos.” [09:13]
  • Quote from Savannah Morning News (1918): “Mary Turner, la esposa de Hayes Turner, fue ahorcada esta tarde... Las cuadrillas andan esta noche a la búsqueda de otros negros...” [09:42]
• Prestigious outlets like The New York Times and Washington Post referred to lynchings as “estallidos de delirio popular” (“outbursts of popular delirium”) and “crímenes pasionales” (“crimes of passion”). [11:02]

6. Statistics and Reality

• The NAACP recorded 3,224 lynchings of Black people from 1889 to 1918—just those documented by the press. In 1919, one Black person was lynched every five days.
  • “La asociación... cifra en 3.224 los linchamientos de negros en un periodo de 30 años, entre 1889 y 1918.” [08:16]
• After WWII, incidents decreased, but persisted well into the twentieth century.

7. The Barbarity and Social Context

• Lynching events were treated as public spectacles, sometimes with refreshments sold on-site. Body parts of victims were displayed or sold as souvenirs.
  • “Los nudillos de un niño linchado se exhibieron en un escaparate... la cabeza de un agricultor negro... fue expuesta sin nariz, sin orejas y sin labios en una peluquería de Memphis.” [13:00]
• Many perpetrators considered themselves upstanding Christians—a hypocrisy given the violence.

8. Systemic and Institutional Failure

• Over 200 failed legislative attempts—blocked by Congress—to make lynching a federal crime.
  • Nieves: “Más de un siglo y doscientos intentos... Intentos que siempre ha tirado abajo el Congreso de los Estados Unidos de América, el país de la libertad...” [13:39]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “A los mismos que les preocupa mucho el aborto de un embrión, les preocupa bastante poco el linchamiento de un ser humano... Y ya no te digo nada si ese humano es negro. Pues eso les preocupa cero patatero.” — Nieves Concostrina [01:35]
• “El verbo linchar significa ejecutar sin proceso y tumultuariamente a un sospechoso o a un reo. La palabra viene de un nombre, Charles Lynch...” — Nieves [03:04]
• “Uno de los trofeos más codiciados en el linchamiento de un negro era el pene. Había tortas por conseguirlo, porque eso era lo máximo.” — Nieves [05:10]
• “La información terminaba diciendo... Las cuadrillas andan esta noche a la búsqueda de otros negros... los sentimientos entre blancos y negros parecen estar haciéndose más intensos.” — Nieves, citando el Savannah Morning News [09:42]
• “Los periodistas nunca llamaron a las cosas por su nombre. The New York Times calificaba los linchamientos como estallidos de delirio popular.” — Nieves [10:55]
• “Hay centenares de casos. El lenguaje, además, como decías, el crimen pasional es importante para disimular la verdad.” — Nieves [11:19]
• “No se puede creer... Cuesta mucho, muchísimo, creer que declarar esto delito federal haya costado más de un siglo.” — Co-host [13:31]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [01:35] — Why lynching wasn’t a federal crime until 2022; hypocrisy of U.S. politics
• [02:33] — The roots and definition of lynching; Charles Lynch
• [04:31] — Post-Civil War racism, Ku Klux Klan, and focus on Black victims
• [05:48] — Everyday events that led to lynching; escalation and brutality
• [08:16] — Statistics from NAACP on lynching
• [09:13] — The press’s role: complicity and sensationalism
• [10:55] — Euphemisms in media coverage
• [13:00] — Grisly reality and public display of violence
• [13:39] — Legislative failure: more than a century to outlaw lynching

Tone and Language

Nieves Concostrina maintains her trademark irreverence and incisive critique, mixing historical recounting with moral outrage and biting irony. She draws parallels between past and present attitudes, calling out hypocrisy and the normalization of racist violence, and refusing to sugar-coat historical truth.

This episode serves not just as a historical recount but a call to face uncomfortable truths, challenge the whitewashing of history, and recognize how deep-rooted injustices persist.