For generations, Black Americans have depended on discernment for survival. Our elders taught us to listen closely, watch carefully and question explanations that did not agree with the evidence before us. That wisdom returns whenever a Black person is found hanging in public and authorities quickly point toward suicide.
During the 12 months ending August 18, 2026, at least 10 Black Americans were found hanging in publicly reported cases. They were Demartravion “Trey” Reed, 21, found September 15, 2025, in Cleveland, Mississippi; Jeremy Norman Carnes, 45, found October 23 in Houston, Texas; and Torrance “Tory” Medley, 39, found November 13 in Brookfield, Wisconsin.
The deaths continued in 2026. Kyle Bassinga, 21, was found February 18 in Marietta, Georgia. Juliana Umba Nzita, 16, was found May 8 in Charlotte, North Carolina. To’Nea Nicole Miller, 27, was found June 18 in Miami, Florida. Justice Kai James, 21, was found June 21 in Albany, Georgia. Jerard “Jay” Jackson, 28, was found June 30 in Rothbury, Michigan. Tasia Fortune, 29, was found August 3 in Jackson, Mississippi. An unidentified 32 year old Black man was found August 15 in Raleigh, North Carolina.Their circumstances and official findings are not identical. Authorities ruled several deaths suicides, described others as apparent suicides and continued investigating the remaining cases. Families questioned the findings or requested greater transparency in several instances. These are 10 reported hanging deaths, not 10 proven lynchings. Responsible journalism must preserve that distinction.
The repeated imagery forces an uncomfortable question: are investigators applying the patience and resources that families would expect in any unexplained death, or does the word suicide sometimes end scrutiny before trust is established?
Yet discernment is not conspiracy. Black communities remember that Billie Holiday’s Strange Fruit was not merely a song. It documented a period when Black bodies hanging from trees communicated terror to entire communities. That history explains why an official statement alone cannot immediately quiet public concern.Strange fruit is also no longer an image associated only with the South. Medley was found at a Wisconsin golf course. Jackson was found near a Michigan music festival. These northern cases do not prove racial killings, but they demonstrate that the trauma, imagery and demand for answers cross regional boundaries.
Mental health must also be addressed honestly. Depression can remain hidden behind a smile, professional success or family plans. Loved ones may sincerely believe someone would never take their own life, but outward happiness cannot settle a medical investigation. Conversely, mentioning emotional struggles does not prove suicide or justify closing a case prematurely.
We must also be careful when using mental health to explain bad behavior. Dementia and certain psychiatric disorders can affect judgment, memory, perception and impulse control. But racism, cruelty and violence are not automatically symptoms of illness. Some harmful actions result from hatred, learned prejudice, entitlement or deliberate choices. No one should receive an informal diagnosis simply because their conduct is difficult to comprehend.“We know better” should not mean that we reject every official finding. It should mean we demand complete autopsies, preserved evidence, transparent timelines, independent reviews when warranted and respectful communication with families.
Discernment asks more of everyone. Authorities must earn trust through evidence. Journalists must resist both silence and sensationalism. Communities must question without turning suspicion into certainty. Mental health professionals must be included without allowing mental illness to become a convenient explanation for every tragedy or act of evil.
The truth may differ from case to case. Our responsibility remains the same: remember the history, examine the facts and never allow haste, fear or convenience to decide how a Black life ended.
— Sources include the Associated Press, local law enforcement statements, medical examiner findings and reporting from Atlanta Black Star, Axios, FOX6 Milwaukee and other local news organizations.
