NU law students investigate, correct history
Northeastern University School of Law’s Civil Rights and Restorative Justice project, or CRRJ, is seeking to correct the false narrative surrounding the lynching of a Black man nearly 75 years ago through a documentary made in collaboration with the university’s School of Journalism.
CRRJ Remembers Shelia Washington
Shelia Washington, who passed away on January 29, 2021 at the age of 61, was a brilliant, tenacious, and pioneering leader of the movement for redress for Jim Crow crimes. Born and raised…
Reform and Reimagine Birmingham Public Safety
In December 2020, Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin and the Birmingham Public Safety Task Force released Reform and Reimagine Birmingham Public Safety.
72 years before George Floyd, this police killing sparked national protests
How CRRJ revived the Royal Cyril Brooks case — and led to a city’s apology
Reparations ‘essential’ to addressing systemic racial injustice, speakers say
The legacy of the institution of slavery—and of racial injustice that continues to this day—amounts to more than just violence, said author Ta-Nehisi Coates during a daylong conference hosted by CRRJ and the Africana Studies…
Zitrin Foundation Creates Endowed Fund to Support Zitrin Fellowships for CRRJ and other Law School Programs
To combat racism and create meaningful reforms in the criminal legal system, the Zitrin Foundation of San Francisco is establishing a $2.5 million endowed fund at Northeastern University School of Law
ABC7: The lynching of Henry ‘Peg’ Gilbert
Researchers at CRRJ uncovered Gilbert’s story. As law students at the time, Tara Dunn and Ariel Kong proved that Gilbert was lynched, and that the legal records lacked evidence for any wrongdoing on his part. Their work led to an official apology from the current sheriff of Harris County, Georgia.
Exploring Restorative Justice in Jim-Crow-Era Police Killings
Between 1930 and 1970, at least 144 African Americans were killed by police officers in Jefferson County, AL; 129 of those incidents occurred in Birmingham alone.
The untold stories of 123 Black people killed by white police officers in one AL county
The police killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor are recent examples of a tragic narrative that is sewn deep into…
A Black man accused of rape, a white officer in the Klan, and a 1936 lynching that went unpunished
The circumstances of Finch’s lynching…
Unearthing the stories of yesterday’s George Floyds
For a decade, Melissa Nobles and Margaret Burnham have been unearthing records that tell the stories of yesterday’s George Floyds.
“Murder in Mobile” honored with a regional Emmy Award for best documentary
Murder in Mobile has earned a Boston/New England Regional Emmy® Award in the documentary category
City of Gretna takes step to right a fatal mistake with historic marker in honor of Royal Brooks
More than 70 years after he was murdered in cold blood by a city of Gretna police officer, Royal Brooks and his family…
Story of Pensacola’s first Black hospital chronicled in original opera
Over two days, the institute hosted a panel featuring Judge Margaret Burnham, focusing on the legal, cultural and social importance of Edwards’ hospital, followed by a “song cycle” featuring performances…
Royal Brooks on WUPL54
WWLTV covers CRRJ’s unveiling of a historical marker for the killing of Royal Brooks in the city of Gretna
‘Viola!’ events focus on area’s first Black-owned hospital
Viola!, the story of what may be the first African American-owned hospital in Pensacola, was chronicled in two public events by the Kukua Institute. Guest panelists included Judge Margaret Burnham.
107-year-old woman waited 70 years for justice after police killed her father
James Darrell Broach holds the paper featuring the 107th birthday of his aunt, Elizabeth Sampson. CRRJ uncovered the case of her father’s murder at the hands of Fayette, MS, police when she was 100.
Justice for Royal: 70 years later, an innocent man gunned down by Gretna police memorialized
In 1948, Royal Cyril Brooks was shot and killed…