lynching

Historically, in many lynchings, law enforcement either carried out the violence directly, organized the mobs who did or at least stood by and watched without intervening.

Thousands of pages of records have been released in the US detailing the government's response to the lynching of black teenager Emmett Till in 1955.

Rights groups say there have been instances of lynching, mob violence, revenge attacks, and a resurgence of religious extremism which threaten to derail the country's journey towards democracy.

We see that in “Sinners” when Delta Slim recalls a fellow musician’s lynching, then processes that agonizing memory by humming a stirring melody before urging Sammie to catch up on guitar.

His lynching can’t be undone, but the dignity of his name can be redeemed and our collective sins can be called to account in a gripping musical that hasn’t so much been revived as reborn.