The Rhetoric Does Not Match the Facts: A Manufactured Crisis That Does a Disservice to Men Across America
By Harry Crouch, President / Board Chairman, National Coalition For Men (NCFM)
(Inspired by an article by NCFM Member Sean Kullman, “The Suicides They Named a Lynching“)
A California Post article reported that Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and Ayanna Pressley sounded an alarm over a supposed “national crisis” of “modern-day lynchings” of Black Americans, citing 10 reported hangings in 2026 and demanding sweeping federal investigations.
The rhetoric does not match the facts. Local investigations found that eight of these deaths were suicides with no evidence of foul play. Only one case—the death of Tasia Fortune in Mississippi—is investigated as a homicide, while one North Carolina case stays open and “suspicious” but unclassified as a lynching: 10 deaths → 8 suicides → 1 homicide → 1 open case → 0 confirmed lynchings.
A Crisis Built on Misrepresentation
While historical trauma is real, it does not transform modern suicides into lynchings, nor does it justify dismissing medical examiners and law enforcement.
In 2026, several media outlets highlighted an advocacy study by JULIAN titled A Crimson Record: SEVEN STATE MODERN-DAY LYNCHING (MDL) REPORT 2000-2026, which claimed over 70 “suspected modern-day lynchings” across seven Southern states since 2000. However, these reports ignored that medical examiners reclassified these cases as suicides, and JULIAN is an advocacy group, not a forensic authority.
Reclassifying questionable suicides as lynchings distorts reality and diverts attention from the genuine public-health crisis of suicide, which disproportionately affects men.
Political Fearmongering
Framing a small number of questionable suicides as “modern-day lynchings” is a propaganda tactic designed to inflate fear and secure political traction. Exploiting the deaths of Black men as political tools rather than treating them as human tragedies is a profound disservice to every American. Calling suicides “lynchings” does not honor victims; it erases them. The U.S. Department of Justice reported 13,026 hate crime incidents in 2025, and the ColdCaseIndex notes over 346,000 unsolved deaths—underscoring the need for accuracy and proportionality.
The Real Crisis: Male Suicide
Men account for over 80% of all suicide deaths in the United States—nearly 39,000 men annually. In 2024, there were 3,181 suicide deaths among non-Hispanic Black men and 803 among non-Hispanic Black women, reflecting the same sex-based disparity seen across all racial groups.
Families deserve honesty, compassion, and meaningful action—not politically charged fearmongering designed to stir outrage.
Action Steps for Readers
- Share correct information: When encountering claims of “modern-day lynchings,” share the verified facts (10 cases → 8 suicides → 1 homicide → 1 open case → 0 confirmed lynchings) to keep attention on the real crisis: male suicide.
- Support men in your circle: Reach out to friends, family, or coworkers. Small acts of connection help counter isolation, a primary suicide risk factor.
Questions for Reflection
- Should political leaders focus more on the thousands of men dying by suicide each year rather than sensationalizing cases already ruled suicides?
- What practical steps can communities take to support struggling men, so families are not left grieving preventable losses?
