Salem's Voices Against Injustice To Honor Investigative Reporter

Salem MA

28 March, 2022

12:05 PM

Description

SALEM, MA — An investigative reporter and author who has spent three decades writing about civil rights cases that had gone cold is this year's recipient of the Voices Against Injustice 2022 Salem Award for Human Rights and Social Justice. Jerry Mitchell, a former Clarion-Ledger reporter and Pulitzer Prize finalist, founded the Mississippi Center for Investigative Reporting, a nonprofit that exposes injustices, investigates cold cases, gives voice to the voiceless and raises up the next generation of investigative reporters. The annual award recognizes and celebrates individuals and organizations confronting fear and social injustice with courage. "It was a unanimous decision by the Board," VAI Chair Fara Wolfson said. "Jerry Mitchell's relentless pursuit of justice is extraordinary, and we are thrilled to have him join a powerful list of honorees." Voices Against Injustice, formerly the Salem Award Foundation, has selected award recipients since 1992 and will host events throughout the year in a "Remember, Honor, Act" series so that the lessons and legacy of the Salem Witch Trials are not forgotten. "I'm humbled and honored by this award, which encourages people to speak up against injustices, even when no one else is speaking up," Mitchell said. "Justice is impossible without truth, and that is why we so desperately need truth." Since Mitchell founded the MCIR in2019, its stories have already led to two separate Justice Department investigations. Mitchell is also the author of "Race Against Time: A Reporter Reopens the Unsolved Murder Cases of the Civil Rights Era." An awards event honoring Mitchell as the 2022 Salem Award for Human Rights and Social Justice hosted by VAI and Peabody Essex Museum will be held later this year. (Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at [email protected]. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)