Few places are more notorious for civil rights-era violence than Philadelphia, Mississippi. Yet in a striking turn of events, Philadelphia has become a beacon in Mississippi's racial reckoning. Claire Whitlinger investigates how this community came to acknowledge its past, offering insight into the social impacts of commemoration.

Previously issued in print: 2020.

A Philadelphia (Mississippi) story: remembering in black and white -- From countermemory to collective memory -- Prosecuting Edgar Ray Killen -- Legislating civil and human rights education -- Commissioning truth and reconciliation -- The transformative capacity of commemorating racial violence: comparing the 1989 and 2004 commemorations -- Commemorating racial violence as intergroup contact -- Commemoration is a constant struggle -- Fifty years forward.