Put students in small groups, and give each group a copy of the lynching statistics. Together, they should discuss the following questions:

• What are 5 observations you can make from the data?
• What surprises you about the data?
• Did anything else resonate or surprise you?

Have a full class discussion on the following questions:

• What’s your main takeaway from looking at these numbers?
• What was the scope of lynching? 
• What questions remain for you? 

As an optional extension for more mature classes, consider showing photographs of lynching postcards to students to discuss the human toll of lynching beyond the numbers. Give a content warning, and ensure your students are emotionally prepared for viewing such graphic violence. Photographs are widely available online from websites such as Without Sanctuary or Truth in Photography. If your students are not ready to see images, consider using a song like Billie Holiday’s “Strange Fruit” or with explanation the images in Activity 5 which are edited photos by Ken Gonzales-Day instead. Hold a discussion of the following questions:

• What are your reactions to these images (or lyrics)?
• What was the human toll of lynching? 
• What messages do these images (lyrics) send to Black Americans? To White Americans? To you as students studying the past?
• What do these images (lyrics) tell you about the social conditions of Jim Crow America?
• “Lynching,” says English Professor Jacqueline Goldsby, “both requires and defies our understanding. Whether we like it or not, it’s one of the touchstones of American culture.” To what extent do you agree with this question after looking at these photos (listening to this song)?