Silence in Sikeston | Trailer
Preview: Season 8 Episode 12 | 1m 17sVideo has Closed Captions
How a lynching and police killing 78 years apart haunt the rural community of Sikeston, Missouri.
The story of how the 1942 lynching of Cleo Wright - and the subsequent failure of the first federal attempt to prosecute a lynching - continues to haunt the small city of Sikeston, Missouri. Then, in 2020, the community is faced with the police killing of a young Black father. The film SILENCE IN SIKESTON explores the necessary questions about history, trauma, silence and resilience over 78 years.
Funding for Silence in Sikeston provided by the Ford Foundation. Funding for Local, USA provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and Wyncote Foundation.
Silence in Sikeston | Trailer
Preview: Season 8 Episode 12 | 1m 17sVideo has Closed Captions
The story of how the 1942 lynching of Cleo Wright - and the subsequent failure of the first federal attempt to prosecute a lynching - continues to haunt the small city of Sikeston, Missouri. Then, in 2020, the community is faced with the police killing of a young Black father. The film SILENCE IN SIKESTON explores the necessary questions about history, trauma, silence and resilience over 78 years.
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Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorshipTINA: In Sikeston, Missouri, two young black men were killed.
One in 1942, and then almost 80 years later in 2020.
- The fact remains that this African American man was burned in front of a church and we don't talk about it.
- It was a brutal, morbid spectacle.
- Denzel was not armed.
He didn't pose a thread towards the police officers at all.
TINA: These two deaths still haunt the community.
- For years, I've said, you're gonna see one of our young men get shot down before long.
- I don't know why it was a secret, but history can't be erased, even though that was over 70 years ago.
The story needs to be told.
- Being quiet isn't the answer.
It's still tragic, but we can actually talk about and express how we feel about it in the open.
- From RetroReport and KFF, "Silence in Sikeston," a special edition of "Local USA."
Silence in Sikeston | Before Lynching Became a Crime
Video has Closed Captions
Before the death of Cleo Wright in 1942, lynching was never prosecuted as a federal crime. (56s)
Silence in Sikeston | Beyond the Lens with Cara Anthony
Video has Closed Captions
Journalist Cara Anthony reveals a piece of family history that parallels SILENCE IN SIKESTON. (8m 12s)
Silence in Sikeston | In the Aftermath of Trauma
Video has Closed Captions
Sikeston residents share how they had to live following the lynching of Cleo Wright. (56s)
Silence in Sikeston | Love & Grief for a Young, Black Father
Video has Closed Captions
A mother talks about her son's life in Chicago and Sikeston, MO before his death by police. (59s)
Silence in Sikeston | Meet the Makers
Video has Closed Captions
A conversation about the film and podcast and what they examine and expose about silence and health. (16m 10s)
Video has Closed Captions
How a lynching and police killing 78 years apart haunt the rural community of Sikeston, Missouri. (30s)
Silence in Sikeston | Witnesses to a Lynching
Video has Closed Captions
Two residents recall the day they, as young children, witnessed the lynching of Cleo Wright in 1942. (59s)
Providing Support for PBS.org
Learn Moreabout PBS online sponsorship
Funding for Silence in Sikeston provided by the Ford Foundation. Funding for Local, USA provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and Wyncote Foundation.