Aug. 23, 1954

Credit: Courtesy: University of Arkansas Press

The small community of Charleston, Arkansas, admitted 11 Black students, becoming the first in the former Confederacy to end segregation in its schools. Dale Bumpers served as legal counsel and went on to become governor and U.S. senator. He wrote a memoir titled, “Best Lawyer in a One-Lawyer Town.”

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The stories of investigative reporter Jerry Mitchell have helped put four Klansmen and a serial killer behind bars. His stories have also helped free two people from death row, exposed injustices and corruption, prompting investigations and reforms as well as the firings of boards and officials. He is a Pulitzer Prize finalist, a longtime member of Investigative Reporters & Editors, and a winner of more than 30 other national awards, including a $500,000 MacArthur “genius” grant. After working for three decades for the statewide Clarion-Ledger, Mitchell left in 2019 and founded the Mississippi Center for Investigative Reporting.