After more than 50 years, the names of some victims are still remembered today.
Medgar Evers, James Cheney, Andrew Goodman and Michael Schwerner are heroes who gave there lives for the cause of advancing civil rights during the 1960s.
But a lot of other folks whose names never made the history books were killed in the racial violence that engulfed those dangerous days.
A new series premiering at 9 p.m. ET Friday night called "The Injustice Files" on the Investigation Discovery channel will explore the murders of some of the lesser known folks who were killed in the civil rights struggle.
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The first show examines the death of Wharlest Jackson in Natchez, Miss., in 1967, a case that was reopened by federal investigators under the FBI Civil Rights–era Cold Case Initiative.
Jackson is the perfect type of case for this examination, because his death didn't make national headlines like Evers. Jackson, a father of five who worked three jobs to support his family, somehow found time to be treasurer of the local NAACP branch.
Jackson won a promotion at his tire factory job, but some white workers weren't happy with his selection, so they placed a bomb in Jackson's car that detonated and killed the young father.
Producers of the show, using FBI files, identify suspects in the case and amazingly track them down for interviews today.
Against a backdrop of inane television fare like "The Biggest Loser" and "American Idol," a show like "The Injustice Files" demonstrates the real potential of the medium to explore serious topics without flinching.
"The Injustice Files" should be required viewing for all ages.
Will you be watching?
Posted By: DAVID JOHNSON
Saturday, February 19th 2011 at 1:00AM
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