White Lies is a new true crime podcast by NPR (National Public Radio) that explores "a story about a murder that happened in 1965;" specifically, the murder of Rev. James Reeb in Selma, Alabama. Reeb, a white Unitarian Universalist minister, had traveled to Selma to join protests for African American voting rights. Journalists and native Alabamians Chip Brantley and Andrew Beck Grace go to Selma to try and solve the cold case of Rev. Reeb's death 53 years after his murder on "Bloody Sunday," March 7, 1965. Three white segregationist men (four were indicted) were tried in the murder, but all were acquitted and no one has ever been held accountable. Selma, Alabama is best known today as the epicenter of the Civil Rights movement, and Brantley and Grace speak with dozens of Selma natives who lived through the era and some who were present during the march on March 7, 1965. The result is an examination of the past through the racism and violence toward African Americans in the South, the lies, and the mythology that have trailed Reeb's murder for over half a century. White Lies should be listened to by adults only; explicit language and descriptions of violent behavior is included in the podcast. The show debuted on May 14, 2019 and is available via the link above, as well as on streaming platforms like Spotify, Google Podcasts, and more.
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