In February 2007, Alberto R. Gonzales, the attorney general under President George W. Bush, issued a stern warning to those who murdered blacks with impunity during the civil rights era: “You have not gotten away with anything. We are still on your trail.” He noted that time was short. The window of opportunity to solve racially motivated crimes more than 40 years old was closing. Families of the victims had waited decades for resolution, while suspects and witnesses have died. More than three years later, they are still waiting.
Charles Moore was a news photographer who became a photojournalist and died a visual journalist — not because he changed, but because the technology, nomenclature and just about everything else involving his profession did.
For every infamous killing that tore at the South in the 1950s and 60s, there were many more that were barely noted, much less investigated. The hard work of many journalists and filmmakers is helping to bring these cases back to light.
