An Unresolved Past

Maria and Julio are joined by Al Letson, host of Reveal and the new podcast series, “Mississippi Goddamn: The Ballad of Billey Joe.” Billey Joe Johnson Jr. was a Black high school football star who was found dead in Lucedale, Mississippi in 2008 after being pulled over by a white cop. They get into his story, the problematic history of investigations when it comes to suspicious deaths of Black people in Mississippi, and journalists’ responsibility when covering these tragic stories. ITT Staff Picks: - Listen to the most recent episodes of “Mississippi Goddamn'' here. - The investigation into Billey Joe Johnson Jr. ’s death still haunts his family and many in the Black community because they don’t believe the authorities, reports Margaret Baker for Sun Herald. - For The Conversation, Professor Connie Hassett-Walker lays out the roots of racism in American policing, from slave patrols to Jim Crow laws. Photo credit: AP Photo/Rogelio V. Solis  

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