Cordella Stevenson would suffer a dehumanizing death in December of 1915, in Columbus, Mississippi after her son was accused of burning down a barn owned by a white man. Cordella Stevenson, along with her husband spent six days in jail, being interrogated by law enforcement about the whereabouts of their son, and soon after returning home, white rage wanted revenge. Cordella’s husband was able to flee, but a ruthless mob captured Cordella, assaulted her, stripped her, and lynched her on a tree near the M&O Railroad.

Through my art, I am reclaiming this moment in history as “The Strangest Fruit of Ascension,” as Cordella Stevenson became the sacrificial being who was slain to satisfy white rage.