In 1942, a young Black man named Cleo Wright was removed from a Sikeston, Missouri, jail and lynched by a white mob.<\/p>\n
Nearly 80 years later, another young Black man, Denzel Taylor, was shot at least 18 times by police in the same small community.\u00a0<\/p>\n
In the hourlong \u201cSilence in Sikeston\u201d documentary film broadcast on WORLD\u2019s \u201cLocal, USA,\u201d<\/a> KFF Health News and Retro Report<\/a> explore how the impact of these men\u2019s killings tells a story about trauma and racism, but also resilience and healing.\u00a0<\/p>\n Stemming from a reporting trip by KFF Health News Midwest correspondent Cara Anthony<\/a> in 2020, this film takes the audience to Indiana, Alabama, and where it all began in the southeastern corner of Missouri known as the Bootheel.\u00a0<\/p>\n Wright\u2019s lynching put this rural community on a world stage and led to the first federal attempt to prosecute a lynching. But no one was held accountable. The killing was quickly hushed among locals, and his name was largely forgotten. When Taylor was shot by police in 2020 \u2014a year when protests about police brutality rocked the nation \u2014 his killing drew little attention.\u00a0<\/p>\n The film breaks the silence and shares the stories of these men\u2019s families, community members, and police to uncover the consequences of this trauma on Sikeston. A limited-series podcast<\/a> exploring the health effects of racial violence and articles<\/a> are also part of this journalism collaboration<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cBeing quiet isn\u2019t the answer,\u201d Michael Snider, Cleo Wright\u2019s great-grandson, told the filmmakers.<\/p>\n Producer and reporter:<\/strong> Cara AnthonyEditors:<\/strong> Taunya English, Kytja WeirCopy editors:<\/strong> Terry Byrne, Gabe Brison-TreziseWeb producers:<\/strong> Lynne Shallcross, Oona Zenda, Lydia ZurawPhotographer:<\/strong> Michael B. ThomasSocial media producers:<\/strong> Tarena Lofton, Hannah Norman<\/p>\n Director:<\/strong> Jill RosenbaumWriter:<\/strong> Jill RosenbaumEditors:<\/strong> Cheree Dillon, Brian KamerzelSenior producer:<\/strong> Karen M. SughrueExecutive producer:<\/strong> Kyra Darnton<\/p>\n Host:<\/strong> Tina M. McDuffieProducer and editor:<\/strong> Hannah PaulDigital producer:<\/strong> Sharon WongEditor:<\/strong> Jill Poisson, Cecilia Pr\u00e9stamoAssistant editor:<\/strong> Abhi IndrekarDigital associate producer: <\/strong>Brigitte McIndoePost-production assistant:<\/strong> Jenny TanSenior editorial adviser:<\/strong> Judith VecchioneProject manager, acquisition and distribution:<\/strong> Georgiana Lee<\/p>\n KFF Health News<\/a> is a national newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about health issues and is one of the core operating programs at KFF\u2014an independent source of health policy research, polling, and journalism. Learn more about KFF<\/a>.<\/p>\nCredits<\/h2>\n
KFF Health News<\/h3>\n
Retro Report<\/h3>\n
WORLD<\/h3>\n
USE OUR CONTENT<\/h3>\n