Picnic

[Rick H Kennerly]

|o|
|o| I wouldn't say the jury was out at all. There are certainly a number of
|o| people who believe that picnics took place at the sites of lynchings and
|o| that the word has its origin in this practice.

The photographic record is pretty clear that people did picnic at
lynching/hangings.  So far the attitude seems to be, if we don't know about
this use of the word, then it can't be true.  True or not, however, I'd
think it interesting to know where & how that it got started, like the H in
Jesus H Christ.

||o|
|o| Note that the statements made about picnicking at the sites of
|o| lynchings in
|o| the NPR feature are not exactly "oral histories." They are simply
|o| historical, not personal, claims made Amelia Robinson, a
|o| long-time leader in
|o| the civil rights movement (at least I think it's her, NPR
|o| doesn't give her
|o| credentials).

Actually,  I remember hearing the series broadcast in several installments.
This is excepts of a series of oral histories and Robinson's voice was
seldom used.

rhk