Buried Truths

In 1936, a black man named Thomas Finch was shot and killed by an Atlanta police officer who later became leader of the Ku Klux Klan. Very little was known publicly about Finch’s death until his name appeared at a new memorial to the victims of lynching. In this special episode of Buried Truths, Hank Klibanoff sits down with Stephannie Stokes, the reporter who uncovered Thomas Finch's story, for an in-depth look at what happened, and how it's connected to the stories on Buried Truths.Read more and see images here.Stephannie Stokes reported and produced the story on Thomas Finch. It was first released on Reveal, a podcast from the Center for Investigative Reporting and PRX. The story was edited by David Lewis, investigations editor at WNYC, and Reveal’s Michael Montgomery. It was produced in collaboration with APM Reports, the investigative and documentary unit of American Public Media, with support from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Special thanks to Susanna Capelouto and Chris Worthingon. David Barasoain is the senior producer of Buried Truths.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In February 2020, Hank Klibanoff was invited back to his hometown of Florence, Alabama for a live community event. It got him thinking about growing up in a state that was notorious for its civil rights abuses. Hank’s recollection of his childhood in the 1950’s and 60’s is that Florence seemed to be more progressive than the rest of Alabama. But… was it really?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A gruesome, unpunished 1967 murder reveals little-known stories of the civil rights movement and Black resistance in Mississippi and Louisiana. "American Reckoning" on Frontline, from PBS, tells the story of Wharlest Jackson Sr. and the search for those who killed him. In this episode of Buried Truths, host Hank Klibanoff talks to the filmmakers behind this documentary, Brad Lichtenstein and Yoruba Richen. Klibanoff also speaks with Stanley Nelson, the weekly newspaper editor who brought this story of Wharlest Jackson Sr. to light.  See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

An interview with Margaret Burnham about her new book, By Hands Now Known: Jim Crow’s Legal Executioners.  The book is so revealing that we wanted to share a conversation she had with the public radio program, Fresh Air (produced by WHYY in Philadelphia and distributed by NPR).   See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

How are we going to keep them from the polls?See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

After Primus King, a black barber and pastor, successfully sued the Democratic Party for denying his right to vote on the grounds of race and color, three-term Georgia Governor Eugene Talmadge declared, “This is a white man’s country and we must keep it so.” The best way to do so: “Pistols.”See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In 1946, Eugene Talmadge was elected to a fourth term as governor of Georgia, however, he died a month later, before he could take office. In a bizarre, almost-comedic turn of events, for two months, three men—Melvin Thompson, Ellis Arnall and Herman Talmadge, son of Eugene —would lay claim to the governor’s seat.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Election day is usually a grand occasion for a small town like Alston, GA. For the white people in town, September 8, 1948, marked a day of good ole traditions and community. But for black voters, it became a place of opportunity...and defiance. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Dover Carter has to make a crucial decision. Isaiah Nixon’s daughter Dorothy, having witnessed the shooting of her father, retreats and seethes. The Buried Truths team uncovers over 500 pages of FBI and NAACP records.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

After the Nixon and Carter families flee Georgia, they face terrible conditions. Discovered by the NAACP and The Pittsburgh Courier, they find a way to move forward.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

FBI director Robert Mueller systematically reopens civil rights cold cases. Hank and his students head to Montgomery County to explore what happened with the FBI’s first investigation into the trial of Isaiah Nixon’s killers – and they make an amazing discovery that had eluded the Nixon family for nearly 70 years. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Isaiah Nixon’s daughter Dorothy returns to Alston, GA. She comes face to face with her past...and with someone she never expected to meet. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The backstory behind The Buried Truths podcast and its host, Hank Klibanoff. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Buried Truths Live is coming to Atlanta on November 28. Season 2 is coming this February. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Isaiah Nixon’s daughter, Dorothy, joins Hank Klibanoff for a live event in Atlanta. Buried Truths producer David Barasoain and Dr. Catherine Meeks, executive director of the Absalom Jones Episcopal Center for Racial Healing, also join the conversation.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Sallie Nixon was small in stature, but large in spirit, strength and willpower. In 1948, she watched as two white men killed her husband Isaiah Nixon because he dared to vote. She lived on, overcame obstacles and inspired generations of family members, including children and grandchildren who affectionately call her Sallie Mama. In July 2020, she passed away at the age of 96.Host Hank Klibanoff remembers Sallie Nixon in this special episode, and is joined by her daughter Dorothy Nixon Williams and Dorothy's children, Joi and Tony Williams.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A.C. Hall lived until he was seventeen years old. On an October night in 1962, he encountered two police officers investigating a stolen gun. They were looking for a colored man...and they found A.C. In season 2 of Buried Truths, Hank Klibanoff examines A.C.'s story and the surrounding context. It's a story of injustice, resilience and racism in the American South. We can't change our history, but we can let it guide us to understanding.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A night stroll, a missing gun and two rookie cops. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What was life like in the South in the 1960s? Why did A.C. run? Revealing details from A.C.'s friends, community members and the ruling politicians of the time.Find out more about what's covered in this episode:- Slavery By Another Name documentary and educational resources, PBS, Douglas Blackmon-  “Debate Over Empty Lot Unearths Ugly Piece of Atlanta History”, WABE, Molly Samuel-  Growing Up Jim Crow: How Black and White Southern Children Learned Race by Jennifer Ritterhouse-  A conversation with Mary Frances Early, the first African American student to earn a degree from the University of Georgia in 1962, WABE, Rose ScottSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A rookie black lawyer, who's never examined a witness, who doesn't even know what a coroner's inquest is, gets his chance in a Macon, Georgia, courtroom against a legendary segregationist lawyer and politician. Can this possibly go well? Listen to the actual testimony -- and that rookie's reflections, in that same courtroom, 56 years later. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.