On Sunday, May 31, the Cold Case Justice Initiative (CCJI) team attended church service at the historical Ebenezer Baptist Church dressed in their Sunday best. Ebenezer was the church of Martin Luther King, Jr, and his big–hearted spirit was surely felt that Sunday. We sat in the second row and joined the congregation in worship. In between songs, the pastor introduced the CCJI to the church body. After the music, Dr. Raphael Warnock spoke inspirationally on the importance of cultivating a spiritual life, even for regular churchgoers. The Reverend concluded with an incredible parable about his beloved iPad suffering from “connectivity issues.” The moment he finished, the power cut out and rain began to fall furiously from the sky. Out the windows of the church, the rain shook the trees, and it drummed heavily on the roof. It really felt as if the Spirit had filled the room and walked amongst us. For the summer interns of CCJI, the vigorous rain washed away the sweat and tears of a grudging year of law school, renewing and revitalizing us for the good work of the coming summer.

Monday, June 1 marked the first day of work in office for the interns stationed in Atlanta. Larrissa, Mandisa, Shirlise, Andrew, Lamar, Alphonse, and I showed up between 9 and 10am. With the help of the intrepid Kevin Moran, our resident political activist and guide through town, we pulled together some tables and set up our laptops on the second floor of Oakhurst Presbyterian Church in Decatur. Professor McDonald divided the seven of us into three teams and assigned us each an initial case. Two killed by police, one lynch victim. All in Atlanta, all in the 1960s. We spent time brainstorming how to properly move forward and investigate these cases. Press coverage. Police reports. Autopsies. Property records. Each piece of information required careful planning and diligent effort, and starting the investigative work filled up much of the remainder of the week.

However, as had become clear to us over the course of orientation weekend, investigation is only one prong of the project at CCJI. In order to fight for justice, we must go out and visit face to face with residents. We rely on community outreach to build our bank of cases and to get the word out about the work that we’re doing. In order to take advantage of the CCJI, the community must first know that we exist. This explains the reason for our introduction at the Ebenezer Baptist Church and at the day’s program of panels at the Civil Rights Center on Saturday, May 30. But these events were only the first of many.

On Tuesday, June 2, the CCJI team attended the People’s Agenda luncheon at Wheat Street Baptist Church. The People’s Agenda is a state wide and regional coalition, bringing together groups to work on issues of voter participation and to inform the community of the most pressing social issues confronting it. Alongside about a hundred other social activists, our team chowed down on a traditional meal of fried chicken, ham, macaroni and cheese, green beans, cabbage, and cake, washed down with endless sweet tea. After lunch, we listened to Michael L. Thurmond, the interim superintendent of DeKalb County Schools, speak about the budgetary and political issues facing the school system today. Mr. Thurmond argued that, despite the magnitude of Georgia public schools earning an F on the College and Career Ready Performance Index (CCRPI),[1] he was not leading a county of “failed” schools, but rather “allegedly failed” schools. Many of the DeKalb County schools, he explained, were improving faster than the state rate. For instance, when children are largely entering school four reading levels behind their grade, if they can improve two whole reading levels within a year, that’s success (despite the state mandated rates that don’t account for particular situations confronting schools). And facing an extreme budget deficit and an aging bus system, Mr. Thurmond was insistent that the school system had greatly improved over the past couple years by escaping its budgetary woes and purchasing new buses and rehiring mechanics for the coming year.

Mr. Thurmond then turned back in history to review the origins of the black community in Georgia. James Oglethorpe, the founder of the state of Georgia, was an abolitionist, Mr. Thurmond explained, and the Seminole tribe in the Southeast was comprised of both red and black peoples. Literacy has always been a paramount issue to the black community, even while largely enslaved in the United States, and literacy is still one of the most pressing issues confronting the community today. But Mr. Thurmond took care to note the improvements between today and yesterday. “In the 1960s, if you were killed, you were just killed,” he said, referring to the unsolved crimes investigated by the CCJI. At least today, he explained, there will be the semblance of a prosecution. Ultimately, Mr. Thurmond impressed upon the CCJI the interconnection of issues with public education and unsolved civil rights crimes, as the persistent racism that infects the school systems serves as the stumbling block to progress for the CCJI as well.

On Thursday, June 4, Alphonse, Larrissa, and I were privileged to appear on Derrick Boazman’s radio show Too Much Truth on 1380 WAOK. For about an hour, the three of us represented the student interns of CCJI in Atlanta and impressed upon the community the importance of the work done by CCJI and our motivations for doing it. You can find the full broadcast here. http://atlanta.cbslocal.com/2015/06/04/too-much-truth-solving-cold-cases/

On Saturday, June 6, the CCJI-Atlanta team made an appearance at former state legislator “Able” Mable Thomas’ fish fry fundraiser for the renovation of the English Avenue Elementary School. The English Avenue School was attended by Able Mable herself, as well as Gladys Knight and the infamous Herman Cain, before its closure. Despite the heat, the CCJI interns, alongside Professor McDonald, were able to make numerous contacts in the West End and Bankhead areas, as our presence was announced before the party and introductions and inquiries were made all around.

Finally, on Sunday, June 7, Professor McDonald and Larrissa attended the service at our work home, Oakhurst Presbyterian. It was communion Sunday. Larissa and Professor McDonald took turns preaching the good word of the CCJI at the Oakhurst lectern. The congregation was very receptive and supportive. They listened attentively and offered to help in any way they could. We are very happy to be working out of the church building of such a welcoming community.

Over the past ten days, the CCJI was able to make numerous connections throughout the Atlanta community and to begin investigating three poignant cases in the Atlanta area. The summer has started fast, and we feel the pressure of only having ten weeks to try and make a difference on this project. Having been invited to participate in so many events around the community has impressed upon us the relevance and gravity of our work. The plight of black people as documented in the news today is not new to us, as it has occurred to our families, to our friends, and in our own neighborhoods. Now, looking back sixty years, the parallels are breath taking. There is nothing new occurring today. Just new faces in an age-old old story about race and racism, death and its consequence.

With so many members of the community invested in our work, the summer interns at CCJI are committed to pulling back the veil of ignorance to show the world the truth of what really happened. Because if not us, then who? And if not now, then when? Just as President Obama exhorted us, “Let’s start the work right now,” in his 2015 State of the Union Address, we will follow through on that charge. The time for work is now, and we absolutely refuse to accept the failure of justice for yet another generation. This is our generation, this is our time, and we will have justice.

[1] The Georgia legislature’s recent study reviewing the Georgia public schools using the CCPRI for the previous three years contained a list of hundreds of schools from various counties, including schools in the Atlanta public school system, Bibb County, Chatham County, Clayton County, DeKalb County, Fulton County, Macon County, Muscogee County, Richmond County, etc., primarily comprising black communities.