Federal Failures Contributed to Racial Violence: 15 New Cases From Students’ Spring Clinic Grand Rounds
The Civil Rights and Restorative Justice Project (CRRJ) at Northeastern University School of Law held its annual Spring Clinic Grand Rounds on April 15 and 16 of this year.
Reflecting on Five Decades of Civil Rights Practice: Flint Taylor
On March 30, 2026, esteemed civil rights attorney Flint Taylor of the Chicago-based People’s Law Office (PLO) and Tayleece Paul, an associate in the office, gave a talk, sponsored by CRRJ, to the law school community. Taylor, a founding partner of the PLO, took his audience on a journey across his remarkable career in civil rights litigation.
CRRJ in the Press: Tommy Lee Walker Declaration of Innocence for 1953 Killing
In partnership with the Innocence Project, CRRJ secured a declaration of innocence for Tommy Lee Walker, wrongfully executed for murder in Dallas, TX, in 1956.
Tommy Lee Walker: CRRJ and the Innocence Project Secure Declaration of Innocence in 70-Year-Old Texas Execution Case
Seventy years after his execution, CRRJ’s investigation leads Dallas County to acknowledge grave injustice in Tommy Lee Walker’s killing.
New Season of Civil Wrongs Podcast Centers on Tennessee Killing Investigated by CRRJ
Civil Wrongs Season 6 now available, centers case of Phillip Hatley, killed in 1939.
CRRJ Summer Interns Present Cases
This summer, several interns joined the Civil Rights and Restorative Justice Project (CRRJ) to support projects and expand our research.
Emmett Till, Seventy Years Later
Emmett Till was lynched on August 28, 1955. This year marks the 70th anniversary of his killing. Margaret Burnham serves on The Civil Rights Cold Case Records Review Board, responsible for their release.
70th Anniversary of Emmett Till’s Lynching: CRRJ Director on Cold Case Review Board, Release 6,500 Federal Records
Emmett Till was lynched on August 28, 1955. This year marks the 70th anniversary of his killing. Margaret Burnham serves on The Civil Rights Cold Case Records Review Board, responsible for their release.
1948 Killing of Hosea Carter Featured in New CRRJ Documentary
Hosea “Shant” Carter was killed in 1948, Marion County, Mississippi, and CRRJ has produced a documentary film about his son’s journey to uncover the truth behind his father’s lynching, revealing a harrowing legacy of racial terror, silence, and resilience.
Gathering the Red Record: Burnham-Nobles Digital Archive Updates, National Anti-Black Violence Database Discussed
CRRJ hosted a first-of-its-kind, two-day conference, July 24-25, at Northeastern University’s Snell Library, to unveil updates to the Burnham-Nobles Digital Archive, and discuss pathways to creating an interoperable archive of anti-Black violence in partnership with similar archival and historical projects from across the U.S.
CRRJ Travels to Memphis for Memorial Honoring Lives Taken by Memphis Police Department
CRRJ joined a citywide memorial in Memphis honoring lives taken by the Memphis Police Department on June 21, 2025.
The Burnham-Nobles Digital Archive presented at Digital Commonwealth’s annual conference
On April 29, 2025, Lydia Beal, CRRJ’s Research Associate, and Joy Zanghi, CRRJ’s Project Archivist, presented the Burnham-Nobles Digital Archive (BNDA) at Digital Commonwealth’s 19th Annual Conference. Their presentation spoke to the title…
CRRJ’s Inaugural Archive in Action Essay Contest Winner Announced
First prize in CRRJ’s first Archive in Action essay contest, went to Zai’ere Watson, an 11th grader at Grimsley High School, in Guilford County, North Carolina, whose essay, “It Ends When They End,” detailed the 1946 killing of J.C. Farmer in Wilson County, NC.
CRRJ Director Margaret Burnham Honored by The C.T. Vivian Foundation
Margaret Burnham’s book, By Hands Now Known: Jim Crow’s Legal Executioners, honored at 4th annual Kaleidoscope Awards for Literary Excellence, in Atlanta, Georgia.
CRRJ Director Gives Keynote at Inaugural Legacies of Lynching Gathering
Professor Margaret Burnham, director of the Civil Rights and Restorative Justice Project (CRRJ) gave the keynote address at “Legacies of Lynching: An Inaugural Gathering,” Saturday, March 1, 2025.
Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley Visits CRRJ, Kickstarts H.R. 40 Campaign
Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley met with CRRJ staff and faculty, as her and her office takes on the task of reigniting interest in and riding co-sponsors for H.R. 40, and reparations broadly.
People’s Law Office Attorneys, Taylor and Thomson, visit CRRJ Clinic
CRRJ hosted two guest speakers from the Chicago-based attorney’s office, People’s Law Office. Attorneys Flint Taylor and Brad Thomson spoke with CRRJ Clinic students about using civil rights lawsuits to advance racial justice, particularly in cases involving police violence.
CRRJ to Host Summer 2025 Undergraduate Program
Apply to CRRJ’s Summer 2025 Undergraduate Program, and undertake unique research opportunities and explore the intersection of historical violence and the law.