By Eric M. Wallace, PhD
In the past few months since the Jena 6 incident we have heard about copycat displays of nooses hung from trees, trucks and even door knobs. Many of my White friends don't understand how this makes Blacks feel. So I though I'd educate you with pictures, because a picture is worth a thousand words.
When (non-racist) White people see a noose they probably see this:
When Blacks see a noose we see this:
This is an over generalizaton but you get the point.
Excuse us if we get upset and want to put someone in jail or worse. This is not a joke or prank. I don't think the mother, father or siblings of these young men laughed at the sight of their loved one hung on the branch of this tree.
A noose is used to intimidate. To us the noose is a reminder of acts of terror used against us. It is a threat of violence to come.
The first reaction is generally fear. The fear then turns to anger. The anger eventually turns to frustration because we still have to deal with this in the 21st century. 
