Jerry Mitchell

Jerry Mitchell is an award-winning investigative reporter and author of the forthcoming book Race Against Time: A Reporter Reopens the Unsolved Murder Cases of the Civil Rights Era. In this incredible true story, Mitchell takes readers on the road that led to the reopening of four of the most infamous killings from the days of the civil rights movement, decades after the fact. His work played a central role in bringing killers to justice for the assassination of Medgar Evers, the firebombing of Vernon Dahmer, the 16th Street Church bombing in Birmingham, and the Mississippi Burning case. Mitchell reveals how he unearthed secret documents, found long-lost suspects and witnesses, and eventually built up evidence strong enough to take on the Klan.

His work has also inspired others to reopen long-forgotten cold cases. Since 1989, authorities in Mississippi and six other states have reexamined killings from the civil rights era, leading to 24 convictions. His stories have also exposed injustices and corruption, prompting investigations, reforms of state agencies, and the firings of boards and officials. His reporting also led to the oldest conviction in a serial killer case in U.S. history — nearly 54 years between his first known murder and his conviction.

Mitchell has been a reporter in Mississippi for over 30 years, joining The Clarion-Ledger in 1986. He has won more than 30 national awards, including a MacArthur “genius grant,” the George Polk Award, Columbia University’s John Chancellor Award, and the Sidney Hillman Prize. He is also a Pulitzer Prize finalist and a longtime member of the Investigative Reporter & Editors.

He has been profiled by Nightline, USA Today, The New York Times, and others and he has appeared as an expert on CNN, PBS Newshour, and other programs. He is the founder of the Mississippi Center for Investigative Reporting, a nonprofit that is raising up a new generation of investigative reporters.

He is also a successful screenwriter. He and co-writer Michael Roden sold their screenplay on the Emmett Till story to Amblin, which is producing the film starring Taraji P. Henson as Till’s mother.

In addition to his writing, Mitchell is an inspiring speaker. In June 2005, he served as the commencement speaker for more than 10,000 graduates at Queens College, where Andy Goodman once attended. And four months later, he spoke at the dedication of the National Civil Rights Memorial Center in Montgomery, Alabama — an event attended by thousands. He regularly shares his stories of justice and redemption, speaking at the Kennedy Center, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, and colleges and universities across America.