Photo of Trey Reed from his personal Facebook page. Image Credit: Mississippi Free Press
Today, the word “lynching” should exist only in textbooks, as a way to highlight the history of a brutal past that cannot be repeated. Yet, the killing of Trey Reed in Mississippi, is being called out for what it is: a lynching.
On September 15, just one month into the new academic year, a Delta State University student by the name of Demartravion “Trey” Reed, was found hanged on campus in northwest Mississippi.
Authorities have twice ruled the event a suicide with no evidence of foul play. Nevertheless, given the history of the state of Mississippi and the nation, it can be concluded that this sudden death was a cause of a hate crime that resulted in the lynching of Trey Reed.
Lynching is not just a crime, it’s a message that echoes through history. For several centuries, these public murders were carried out to terrorize black communities, enforce white supremacy and strip communities of their safety.
Today, the killing of Trey Reed sends the same message similar murders did many years ago: black people should live in constant fear.
The Equal Justice Initiative has documented over 4,400 racial lynchings in the United States between 1877 and 1950.
These killings were rarely punished; instead, they were often praised and celebrated by those who believed black people had no claim to humanity. Others were sanctioned through silence, and as history repeats itself, this silence is witnessed with the death of Trey Reed.
Some will argue that as a nation, the U.S. has progressed too far for this to be considered a continuation of the tragedy.
In fact, a press release from Sean Tindell, a police commissioner overlooking the case, states, “We haven’t had a documented case of a lynching in decades…I would believe that they’re trying to get the clickbait and get you to come look at their stuff.”
Tindell praised the “quick work” of local officials for an open-and-shut case. However, the public cannot be tone deaf to this tragedy that keeps repeating.
Equally troubling is the lack of urgency in naming this hate crime what it is.
In other words, Mississippi’s local police department believe that it is best to rule the death of Trey Reed a suicide.
Likewise, many families of other black men who have been found hanging in Mississippi and were determined to have died by suicide, are also questioning their official causes of death. Yet, their questions remain unanswered.
Naming Reed’s death a lynching is not only about historical accuracy but also moral clarity. Refusing to do so only protects the systems that allow such violence to persist.
Families and friends of Trey Reed characterize him as a young man who was filled with warmth and deeply loved and respected by many. Ruling his death as a suicide leaves burdening questions in the hearts of many and turns a blind eye to what is really going on today.
This disheartening moment requires action.
The United States must demand justice for Trey Reed and his family as well as strengthen protections against the hate crimes and racial terror that continue to rise in the nation.
Trey Reed’s death is a reminder that lynching is not behind us—it is with us. And until we accept this reality, we will never make progress.
