“A union of art and propaganda”
“A union of art and propaganda”
This chapter explores the ways the NAACP used the arts in its fight against lynching. The three examples discussed are: antilynching plays written by black women; the Writers’ League Against Lynching, formed in the 1930s to provide information to writers about mob violence; and An Art Commentary on Lynching, an art exhibition that executive secretary Walter White organized to elicit support for an antilynching bill. The NAACP tried to change white attitudes toward lynching by using culture, a strategy that White called a “union of art and propaganda.” Equally significant was the way African Americans used art and literature to create an alternative record of lynching, one that challenged white America's justification for and celebration of mob violence.
Keywords: Lynching, Walter White, antilynching plays, Writers’ League Against Lynching, Art exhibition
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