The aspect in this class of learning about race relations in American history is really important to me as a Conflict Analysis & Resolution minor because it allows me to understand more about the dark past our nation has had and evaluate if/how we’ve improved and where we still need work. I knew about lynchings but the entire concept of spectacle lynchings was entirely new knowledge to me. It’s difficult to think about the fact that people would watch and be proud of being present at these “events”. After doing a little more research, I learned that although the spectacle lynchings were a big thing in the 1890s, they were still around until the 1960s, just over 50 years ago. While lynchings don’t occur as commonly as they did then, I realize that this is still a problem that we face today. I immediately remembered this article that I read from just last year. A black student was lynched at UMD by another student. It’s still happening in the 21st century and didn’t get a lot of media coverage. Although no one’s sending postcards to their family about the lynching they attended, it’s still highly disturbing that we’re still living in a time where it’s a possibility. Just as the spectacle element has been taken away, I hope that students 10 to 15 years from now aren’t able to cite an article that reminded them of a horrible time in our country’s history.