KFF Health News Midwest correspondent Cara Anthony sat down with WORLD executive producer Chris Hastings to discuss the origins of the “Silence in Sikeston” project, which explores the impact of a 1942 lynching and a 2020 police shooting in a rural Missouri community. The collaboration with Retro Report includes a documentary, educational videos, digital articles, and a limited-series podcast about the toll racism takes on health.
For more information on the “Silence in Sikeston” project:
LOOKThe documentary “Silence in Sikeston,” a co-production of KFF Health News and Retro Report, is now available to stream on WORLD’s YouTube channel, WORLDchannel.org and the PBS app.
HEAR:The Limited Series Podcast
The 1942 lynching of Cleo Wright in Sikeston, Missouri, and conversations with one of the few remaining witnesses spark a discussion about the health consequences of racism and violence in the United States. Host Cara Anthony speaks with history scholar Eddie R. Cole and racial equity scholar Keisha Bentley-Edwards about the physical, mental, and emotional burdens borne by Sikeston residents and Black Americans more broadly.
Racial violence is an experience shared by residents of Sikeston, Missouri, and many Black Americans. Remaining silent in the face of this threat is a survival tradition that families have passed down to their children to keep them safe. After host Cara Anthony reveals details of a police killing in her family, she and psychologist Aiesha Lee discuss the silence surrounding racism and its health effects across generations, including the repercussions Anthony and her family are experiencing today.
READKFF Health News Midwest correspondent Cara Anthony wrote an essay about how her reporting on this project helped her learn about her own family’s hidden past.
