The Orbis

Issue date: 10/2/07 Section: News/Features

Media Credit: Madeleine Fentress

The image of a tree with nooses hanging from its branches is among the most terrifying and upsetting icons of American history. Recent events in Jena, La. and at the University of Maryland have moved the image from our history books to the forefront of our nation's consciousness.

In Jena, in Maryland, and in various places for centuries past, the image of the lynching tree has been used to instill fear in others in order to maintain a racial hierarchy. In other contexts, however, as in Billie Holiday's haunting song "Strange Fruit," on the t-shirts of activists supporting the 'Jena 6' and on the cover of this issue of Orbis, the image is reappropriated in order to remind people of the horrifying consequences of prejudice and hatred.

This issue of Orbis features commentary on violent crime and injustice in Jena, La., national hate-crime legislation, sexual assault on campus, neglect of animals in Wilson Hall and the Burmese government's shocking use of force to repress its critics. This is among the most somber issues of Orbis I've helped to produce, but I strongly believe in the importance of addressing each of these topics. Reading about violence and talking about violence are never easy or comfortable tasks. However, the consequences of not having these conversations in our communities pale in comparison to this discomfort.

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