Silence in Sikeston
The 1942 lynching of Cleo Wright. The 2020 police shooting of Denzel Taylor.
Two Black men killed nearly 80 years apart
by a public health threat of their time.
A reporting project told through a podcast, documentary film, and stories.
The Podcast
“Silence in Sikeston” explores what it means to live with racism and violence, then charts the toll on our health — from hives, high blood pressure, inflammation and heart disease to struggles with mental health.
In 1942, Cleo Wright was removed from a Sikeston, Missouri, jail and lynched by a mob. Nearly 80 years later, Denzel Taylor was killed by police in the same community. The deaths of these two Black fathers tell a story about the public health consequences of racism and systemic bias. Meet residents determined to live healthier lives after generations of community silence. “Silence in Sikeston” is the podcast about finding the words to say the things that go unsaid. This is an invitation. Perhaps this journalism, these stories, will spark a conversation that you’ve been meaning to have.
Host
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Episode 1 — Racism Can Make You Sick
Sept. 10, 2024
Host Cara Anthony visits with a witness to the 1942 lynching of Cleo Wright and asks about the physical and emotional burden of racial violence.
• • •
Episode 2 — Hush, Fix Your Face
Sept. 17, 2024
Staying silent in the face of racial violence is a survival tradition many Black families have passed down to keep their children safe.
• • •
Bonus Episode — Meet the Makers
Sept. 24, 2024
The tables have turned as Cara Anthony, podcast host and KFF Health News Midwest correspondent, answers questions from WORLD’s editor-in-chief and executive producer, Chris Hastings.
• • •
Episode 3 — Trauma Lives in the Body
Oct. 1, 2024
Police body-cam video from the 2020 shooting death of Denzel Taylor launches a conversation about the loss experienced by his three daughters.
• • •
Episode 4 — Is There a Cure for Racism?
Oct. 8, 2024
A debate between a confident teenager and a candid police chief leads to a discussion about what it will take to stop racism from making Black people sick.
The Film
“Silence in Sikeston” premiered Sept. 16 on WORLD’s “Local, USA.” Find it online at worldchannel.org, on YouTube, on the PBS app, or below. Visit YouTube to watch a preview.
KFF Health News Midwest correspondent Cara Anthony sat down with WORLD executive producer Chris Hastings to discuss the origins of the “Silence in Sikeston” project.
Beyond the Lens
KFF Health News Midwest correspondent Cara Anthony discusses her reporting for the “Silence in Sikeston” multimedia project, which explores the impact of a 1942 lynching and a 2020 police killing on a rural Missouri community — and what it led her to learn about her own family’s past.
The Writing
Credits
KFF Health News credits
Reporter & Producer: Cara Anthony
Editors: Taunya English, Kytja Weir, Simone Popperl
Copy Editors: Terry Byrne, Gabe Brison-Trezise
Audio Producers: Zach Dyer, Taylor Cook
Sound Designer: Lonnie Ro
Web Producers: Lynne Shallcross, Oona Zenda, Lydia Zuraw
Photographer: Michael B. Thomas
Social Media Producers: Tarena Lofton, Hannah Norman
Retro Report credits
Director: Jill Rosenbaum
Writer: Jill Rosenbaum
Editors: Cheree Dillon, Brian Kamerzel
Senior Producer: Karen M. Sughrue
Executive Producer: Kyra Darnton
World credits
Host: Tina M. McDuffie
Producer & Editor: Hannah Paul
Digital Producer: Sharon Wong
Editor: Jill Poisson, Cecilia Préstamo
Assistant Editor: Abhi Indrekar
Digital Associate Producer: Brigitte McIndoe
Post Production Assistant: Jenny Tan
Senior Editorial Advisor: Judith Vecchione
Project Manager, Acquisition and Distribution: Georgiana Lee
