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On February 27, Center President Richard Cohen stood alongside U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales to announce a renewed commitment by the federal government to investigate the deaths of 76 men and women killed between 1952 and 1968, likely victims of racial violence.
In 1989, the Center built the Civil Rights Memorial, honoring 40 people who were killed during the Civil Rights era by those determined to undermine freedom and equality for African Americans. Since the Memorial's dedication, six people have been convicted for their roles in murders chronicled on the monument.
"The FBI and the Justice Department have played key roles in these successful prosecutions and, for this, we thank them," Cohen remarked. "But the truth is that more remains to be done."
In the 1980s, as Center investigators researched instances of racial violence during the Civil Rights era, they documented the deaths of 40 people whose names appear on the Memorial, along with 76 additional killings where available evidence was limited. These cases now rest in the hands of the FBI and the Department of Justice.
"There are murder cases from the Civil Rights era that still cry out for justice, cases that cry out for further investigation," Cohen said. "Now, with today's announcement, there is renewed hope that these cries will be answered."
The timeline on the tablet of the Civil Rights Memorial honors 40 people killed during the Civil Rights era.
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