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Dear Readers,
On May 7, 1955, white men gunned down the Rev. George Lee in Belzoni, Mississippi, because the NAACP leader dared to encourage others to register to vote. On March 11, 1965, white men beat to death the Rev. James Reeb outside a Selma, Alabama, café because he had taken part in a march to promote voting for all Americans. On Feb. 27, 1967, Klansmen planted a bomb in the truck of Wharlest Jackson, who had been promoted to a job previously held only by whites. While driving to his home in Natchez, Mississippi, his truck exploded, sending the roof hundreds of feet down the street. Each of their killers walked free.
These victims were far from alone. Hundreds had their lives stolen by Klansmen and the like during the dark days of the civil rights era. Only a few were ever tried. For too long, these killers have walked free among us. For too long, these killers have never been punished for their crimes. For too long, society has turned a blind eye to the horrors of what happened. At the time these killings took place, some witnesses were too young or too scared to tell what they saw or knew. Others simply believed that speaking up wouldn’t do any good.
The time to share is now. Witnesses are dying, and the door is closing fast on possible prosecutions of these killings.
As journalists, we often rely on members of the public to come forward with information that no one else has access to. We need your help to solve these cases. If you have any information about any of these unpunished killings or others, please click this link or e-mail us at [email protected]. In all of these cases, we will collect documents, photographs, video and other materials as living memorials to those who were slain.
In 2002, Doug Jones successfully prosecuted the last of two living suspects in the 1963 bombing of a Birmingham, Alabama, church that killed four little girls. Both men went to prison for life. When Jones emerged from the courtroom, he told those gathered, "Just because justice is delayed doesn’t mean justice is denied."
The time to help is now.
Sincerely,
Jerry Mitchell
Reporter at The Clarion-Ledger
Jackson, Mississippi