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Many of the unsolved racially motivated killings that were committed during the Civil Rights Era in the 1960s are now more than 40 years old. However, the passage of time does not lessen the need to hold individual and institutional perpetrators accountable for these crimes; instead, it increases it.

The hard-fought and ongoing struggles and sacrifices for racial justice and racial equality in American society demand that perpetrators answer to victims’ surviving family members, communities, and the nation for their heinous crimes, no matter how long it takes. The principles and promise of American democracy require nothing less than the thorough pursuit and achievement of justice in these cases.

In recognition of Black History Month, at the Natchez Historical Society’s monthly meeting on Tuesday, February 25, Paula C. Johnson will present “Memory Lessons: Meeting the Imperative for Racial Justice through Memory, Memorials, Knowledge, and Empowerment.”

Ms. Johnson’s talk will focus on the Cold Case Justice Initiative’s (CCJI) advocacy on behalf of victims of unsolved racially motivated crimes committed during the Civil Rights Era. The investigations of these homicides and disappearances seek information and accountability for these heinous crimes. These efforts include alternatives to prosecution, including programming and memorials that preserve the victims’ legacy and educates the public about their contributions to American society. Collaborations such as with the family of Natchez’s own Wharlest Jackson, Sr., who was murdered by a truck bomb in February 1967, provide a powerful way to ensure against the erasure of Black history in educational institutions and U.S. society broadly.  Memory, memorials, and landmarks are integral components of justice and are part of the larger and growing movement to preserve Black history in all forms and all places. They are necessary to tell the complete story of American history and the continuing struggle for freedom, justice, and democracy.

Ms. Paula C. Johnson is a professor of law at Syracuse University College of Law and Director of the Cold Case Justice Initiative (CCJI). She earned her B.A. from the University of Maryland, College Park; J.D. from Temple University School of Law; and her LL.M. from Georgetown University Law Center. Professor Johnson directs the Cold Case Justice Initiative (CCJI). She co-founded the Cold Case Justice Initiative (CCJI) at Syracuse University College of Law, which investigates racially motivated murders committed during the civil rights era and in contemporary times.

The Natchez Historical Society’s meeting will occur at the Historic Natchez Foundation, 108 S. Commerce St., in Natchez. The program will begin with a social at 5:30 p.m., with the presentation at 6 p.m. All are invited, members and non-members alike, and there is no charge for attendance. The Natchez Historical Society’s programing is funded by a grant from the Mississippi Humanities Council through funding by the National Endowment for the Humanities. For more information, call 281-731-4433 or 601-492-3004 or send email to info@natchezhistoricalsociety.org

DAYE DEARING is a trustee of the Natchez Historical Society and chair of programming.