>>>
>>> FROM
>>> FROM THE AAA TRAVEL ALCOVE HERE IS A MARGARET LARSON.
>>> FOR 20 YEARS AT JERRY
MITCHELL DEDICATED HIS WORK TO
INVESTIGATING MURDERS COMMITTED
FROM THE TRAINING.
THAT WORK CULMINATED IN THE NEW
BOOK CALLED "RACE AGAINST TIME
CLOSE WILL.
CLOSE WILL. GIVING PERSPECTIVE ON TERRIBLE
TIME IN AMERICA'S PAST.
THIS BOOK IS SO ALIVE.
TELL ME WHY YOU ARE STILL
INVESTIGATING THESE CASES AND
THE APPLICATION THAT WE SEE TO
THE ENVIRONMENT TODAY
>> HISTORY INFORMS THE PRESENT
AND FUTURE.
AND FUTURE. IN A TENDS TO GO IN CYCLES.
I THINK WHAT YOU SEE HERE ,
THIS HATE.
THIS HATE. IF YOU DON'T DOCUMENTED,
UNFORTUNATELY WE TEND TO REPEAT
HISTORY.
HISTORY.
HISTORY. AND THAT IS WHAT WE HAVE SEEN
OVER THE PAST FIVE YEARS.
WE'VE SEEN A RISE IN WHITE
NATIONALISM AND WHITE
SUPREMACY.
SUPREMACY. SPIKE IN A DENIAL OF ACTUAL
HISTORY.
HISTORY.
HISTORY. AND THAT'S WHAT'S DISTURBING.
>> LET'S TALK ABOUT THE
MURDERS.
MURDERS.
MURDERS. HOW YOU CHOSE THEM AND WHAT WE
CAN LEARN FROM WHAT YOU FOUND
OUT.
OUT.
OUT. WE
OUT. WE HAVE SOME PHOTOS.
>> THIS IS MEDGAR EVERS.
HE WAS ASSASSINATED IN HIS
DRIVEWAY.
DRIVEWAY.
DRIVEWAY. HIS MURDER WENT TO A TRIAL , HE
WAS FINALLY CONVICTED IN 1994.
THIS IS VERNON WHO DIED
DEFENDING HIS FAMILY FROM THE
CLAN IN THE MISSISSIPPI.
THESE WERE THE FOUR GIRLS WHO
WERE KILLED IN THE BIRMINGHAM
CHURCH BOMBING.
CHURCH BOMBING. THIS IS A PICTURE OF THE CHURCH
ITSELF.
ITSELF.
ITSELF. AND THEN THE THREE CIVIL RIGHTS
WORKERS THAT WERE KILLED IN
MISSISSIPPI IN 1964.
>> AS YOU INVESTIGATE CASES
LIKE THAT THERE'S STILL A LOT
OF PUSHBACK FROM PEOPLE.
WHAT WAS IT LIKE TO DIG THROUGH
THIS INFORMATION AND MAKE SURE
THAT IT STAYS IRRELEVANT?
BUT I WANTED TO EXPOSE THAT
JUSTICE WAS NOT DONE.
THAT INVOLVED DIGGING INTO
THESE CASES.
THESE CASES. THE THING THAT WAS SO HORRIBLE.
THEY DIDN'T JUST GET AWAY WITH
MURDER EVERYBODY KNEW THEY GOT
AWAY WITH MURDER.
AND THAT WAS THE OTHER THING
THAT WAS VERY COMPELLING.
IT MADE ME VERY ANGRY.
20 KLANSMEN INVOLVED.
THEY WERE NOT PROSECUTED FOR
MURDER.
MURDER.
MURDER. >> EXPLAINED TO PEOPLE WHO ARE
NOT ALIVE WHY IT WAS SO EASY
FOR EVERYBODY TO KNOW WHAT
HAPPENED AND NOBODY DID
ANYTHING ABOUT IT?
>> EVERYBODY FROM THE
GOVERNMENT DOWN WAS COMPLICIT
IN SOME WAY WITH THE VIOLENCE
CARRIED OUT BY THE KLAN.
THEY HEAD ALL-MALE JURIES, THEY
WERE ALL WHITE.
AND THE KILLERS JUST WALKED
AWAY.
AWAY.
AWAY. THEY DIDN'T CONVICT.
THERE WERE ALMOST NO
CONVICTIONS.
CONVICTIONS. SAM BOWERS ORDERED THE KILLING
OF VERNON AND THE THREE YOUNG
MEN, AND EDGAR ORCHESTRATED THE
KILLINGS.
KILLINGS.
KILLINGS. THIS IS THE MAN WHO PLANTED THE
BOMB THAT KILLED THE FOUR
GIRLS.
GIRLS.
GIRLS. >>
GIRLS. >> IS THERE NO WAY KNOWING WHAT
WE KNOW TO SEEK JUSTICE THAT
WOULD PERMANENTLY DETERMINE
WHAT HAPPENED
WHAT HAPPENED >> IN THESE CASESWE HAVE HAD
JUSTICE.
JUSTICE.
JUSTICE. THESE PEOPLE WERE CONVICTED.
THERE'S SO MUCH MORE THAT NEEDS
TO BE DONE AND OTHER INJUSTICES
IN THE COUNTRY.
THE LYNCHING ERA.
BUT THERE WERE MORE THAN 4000
AFRICAN-AMERICANS WHO WERE
KILLED.
KILLED.
KILLED. >> I THINK THE BLACK COMMUNITY
KNOW THESE STORIES.
THE WHITE COMMUNITY OFTEN DOES
NOT.
NOT.
NOT. OR
NOT. OR THEY THINK OF IT IN SOME WAY
THAT MAKES IT WAY IN THE PAST.
WHAT IS YOUR BEST APPROACH TO
GET PEOPLE TO WAKE UP TO THE
REALITY OF WHAT OTHER
COMMUNITIES LIVE WITH.
AND WHY THAT'S SO IMPORTANT TO
GET US TO A PLACE OF JUSTICE?
>> WHEN I WAS IN DALLAS THERE
WERE THREE DIFFERENT AFRICAN-
AMERICAN PEOPLE THAT STOOD UP
AND BEGAN TO TALK ABOUT THEIR
STORIES.
STORIES.
STORIES. IT MADE ME REALIZE THAT WE DO
NOT TALK ABOUT RACE.
WE DO NOT PROVIDE A SAFE PLACE
TO HAVE CONVERSATIONS.
AND A WHITE WOMAN STOOD UP AND
TALKS ABOUT HOW DOTING HER
GRANDFATHER WAS.
GRANDFATHER WAS. AND THEN THEY FOUND HIS KLAN
HOOD.
HOOD.
HOOD. SHE
HOOD. SHE WAS RECONCILING THE
GRANDFATHER SHE LOVED KNOWING
THAT HE HAD BEEN A MEMBER OF
THE KLAN.
THE KLAN.
THE KLAN. AND THE NORTHWEST IS NO
STRANGER TO WHITE SUPREMACY AND
HATRED.
HATRED.
HATRED. AND A LOT OF OTHER GROUPS.
>> WHAT WOULD YOU SUGGEST TO
EVERY DAY PEOPLE AS WE GO
THROUGH LIFE TO MAKE SURE THAT
THESE ISSUES GET THE ATTENTION
THEY NEED AND THAT WE SUPPORT
ONE ANOTHER COMMUNITY TO
COMMUNITY?
COMMUNITY? >> THERE ARE POLITICS AT PLAY.
AND WHEN FEAR RAINS PEOPLE PULL
BACK INTO THEIR IDENTITY
GROUPS.
GROUPS.
GROUPS. WE NEED TO NOT LET THAT HAPPEN.
WE NEED TO MOVE BEYOND FEAR.
SO WE CAN MOVE PAST PARTY LINES
TO UNDERSTAND THE THINGS WE
HAVE IN COMMON AND WORK
TOGETHER.
TOGETHER.
TOGETHER. THAT IS THE ONLY WAY.
>> THIS BECAUSE YOU HAVEN'T
EXPERIENCED DOESN'T MEAN IT'S
NOT REAL BUT I HAVE A POST ON
FACEBOOK EVERY DAY.
TODAY IT'S CIVIL RIGHTS
HISTORY.
HISTORY.
HISTORY. WHAT IS FASCINATING IS SO MANY
PEOPLE COME BACK AND SAY I
NEVER KNEW THIS.
THEY NEVER TAUGHT ME THIS IN
SCHOOL.
SCHOOL.
SCHOOL. THERE IS A REAL GAP AND KNOWING
OUR PAST IN THIS COUNTRY.
ESPECIALLY WHEN IT COMES TO
RACE.
RACE.
RACE. >>
RACE. >> I'M SO GLAD YOU HAVE WRITTEN
THIS BOOK SO THAT WE CAN KNOW
BETTER AND DO BETTER.
THERE WILL BE AN