For the previous 4 years, journalist Cara Anthony, a KFF Well being Information Midwest correspondent, has been reporting on the general public well being results of racism, violence, and intergenerational trauma in a small Missouri city. The consequence: a brand new documentary and podcast collection known as “Silence in Sikeston.”
Cara Anthony sits down with “An Arm and a Leg” host Dan Weissmann to speak concerning the well being results of breaking silence and the way it may assist heal intergenerational trauma.
Dan Weissmann
Host and producer of “An Arm and a Leg.” Beforehand, Dan was a employees reporter for Market and Chicago’s WBEZ. His work additionally seems on All Issues Thought-about, Market, the BBC, 99 P.c Invisible, and Reveal, from the Heart for Investigative Reporting.
Credit
Emily Pisacreta
Producer
Adam Raymonda
Audio wizard
Ellen Weiss
Editor
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Transcript: Can Racism Make You Sick?
Notice: “An Arm and a Leg” makes use of speech-recognition software program to generate transcripts, which can include errors. Please use the transcript as a software however test the corresponding audio earlier than quoting the podcast.
Dan Weissmann: Hey there. We’re doing one thing just a little totally different this time. This story isn’t about the price of healthcare, not in {dollars} and cents, and it’s really not about docs or hospitals or medicines, nevertheless it’s a narrative about well being and about illness and damage and about how folks can look after one another and assist one another heal.
And, I’ll let you know, it’s a robust story. This can be a story about racism, violence, and ongoing intergenerational trauma. So, , nonetheless you would possibly must handle your self round a narrative like this, I need you to do this. However this can be a story I’ve been listening to about and searching ahead to speaking about for years.
Cara Anthony is a Midwest correspondent with our companions at KFF Well being Information, and she or he’s been engaged on a documentary and a podcast about this story since 2020. And now her work, Silence in Sikeston, it’s out on this planet. PBS aired the documentary in September and the fourth and ultimate podcast episode got here out simply final week.
They join the tales of two younger Black fathers who had been killed within the small city of Sikeston, Missouri, virtually 80 years aside. Cleo Wright was lynched by a white mob in 1942. They dragged him from the jail to the Black part of city, they usually doused his physique with gasoline and lit the hearth in entrance of a church on a Sunday morning.
In 2020. Denzel Taylor was killed by Sikeston police, he was unarmed. Police fired a minimum of 18 pictures. So the podcast Silence in Sikeston, it explores racism, violence, and systemic bias as public well being issues, actually making folks sick throughout complete communities and throughout generations. And it asks, amongst different issues, can breaking silences be therapeutic?
That is “An Arm and a Leg,” and normally it’s a present about why healthcare prices so freaking a lot and what we are able to perhaps do about it. I’m Dan Weissmann. I’m a reporter. I’m grateful to get to speak with Cara Anthony about her work. Cara, thanks a lot for becoming a member of us.
Cara Anthony: Thanks for having me, Dan.
Dan Weissmann: My pleasure. How, how did you develop into conscious of those tales and the way did you determine to pursue them?
Cara Anthony: In 2020, I used to be sitting on my sofa, watching the world erupt, , watching what was occurring to George Floyd in Minneapolis. And I actually wished to affix the dialog that was occurring. And I made a decision, what? Whereas the world was being attentive to Minnesota at the moment, I knew that there have been different tales on the market. And so, I’m a Midwest correspondent for KFF Well being Information. And I assumed I ought to check out what’s happening in Missouri. And I made a decision actually to take a look at rural Missouri and Black communities in rural Missouri and sort of stumbled upon part of the state often known as the Boot Heel. That’s Southeast Missouri. It’s known as the Boot Heel as a result of that a part of Missouri sort of stands proud like a boot and um, ended up in Sikeston, made a name in 2020 to the town’s first Black clerk there. And she or he stated, look, if you wish to know what it’s prefer to be Black within the Boot Heel, it is advisable to have a dialog with my grandmother, Mabel Prepare dinner. And I stated, okay, , pitched it to my editors. I assumed it will perhaps be a 900 phrase story and it ended up being a 4 yr journey. And right here we at the moment are.
Dan Weissmann: Wow. Okay. How did you pitch this story initially? I imply, you might be working then as now for KFF Well being Information. How did you pitch this story? ‘Like, nicely, so right here’s a well being story.’ How was that a part of the pitch?
Cara Anthony: Yeah, I imply, I instructed my editor, look, the entire nation is taking a look at police violence and police killings, but in addition I knew that our nation had lived via a lynching period, and I simply stated, look, I need to write a narrative about racial trauma. You understand, on the time I used to be searching for indicators of like PTSD and individuals who had been nonetheless dwelling there and had witnessed this lynching that occurred in 1942. And my editor , at first she was like, okay, , go forward. Why don’t you go down there and see what you’ll find? And the extra I began speaking to folks, the extra I spotted that this knowledgeable their lives, how they associated to one another, how they associated to even regulation enforcement at the moment, and that’s after I determined, ‘ what? This isn’t only a story about historical past, however relatively we have to have a look at police killings and police violence at the moment.’ And that’s after I determined to look into the story of Denzel Taylor.
Dan Weissmann: And so his story, his loss of life had occurred just some months earlier than you made your first telephone name to Sikeston. It didn’t develop into a part of your reporting venture till later.
Cara Anthony: There have been a couple of native information headlines about what occurred to Denzel, however principally, , folks ignored it. There was a number of silence round his loss of life as nicely. And that’s largely as a result of, Dan, folks don’t – and nonetheless at the moment – folks don’t really feel snug speaking about these things. It’s onerous. Um, for some folks they really feel as if their, their lives could possibly be in jeopardy. Part of the rationale why we name it Silence in Sikeston, – at first I used to be calling it, , Black within the Boot Heel. I assumed that’s a intelligent title. After which I assumed that’s, that’s simply flawed. That is deeper. Persons are holding in tales and I’m getting extra no’s than I’m yeses. And I stated, , I simply instructed my editor, I stated, we now have to name this Silence in Sikeston.
Dan Weissmann: Like, what causes did folks give for not wanting to speak to you? Why, and, and past what folks stated, like, why do you suppose so many individuals didn’t need to discuss to you?
Cara Anthony: You understand, I feel there’s an enormous concern nonetheless. You understand, Sikeston is a city of roughly 16,000 folks. And, I imply, if small city politics, you perceive what it’s prefer to be in a smaller metropolis. All people is aware of everyone, proper? Additionally harm had been accomplished there earlier than I arrived and determined to start out, , asking questions and wanting to inform tales. Individuals actually feared retaliation due to racial trauma and since they didn’t need their member of the family to be subsequent. You even have simply the load of what occurred to Cleo, proper? You understand, this can be a Black man who was lynched on a Sunday morning in entrance of your entire neighborhood. You understand, they drug Cleo Wright to the Black part of city to make a degree. That’s one thing that sticks with you. So Black folks had their causes for not wanting to speak different tales, , um, issues that had occurred throughout the Black neighborhood that made them fearful, but in addition, , white residents on the town didn’t need the town to look dangerous. Each city has secrets and techniques and, um, a few of these secrets and techniques have to be unearthed and mentioned as a result of, um, they will make you sick if not.
Dan Weissmann: Yeah, we’ll get proper to that. What did you study concerning the well being prices of dwelling with violence in silence?
Cara Anthony: In episode three of the podcast, we discuss one thing known as anticipatory stress, which suggests such as you’re at all times ready for the opposite shoe to drop. So perhaps , the subsequent era, they’re like, okay, we’re okay.
Y’all are, , we’re new right here. Um, however then you have got your moms and dads and grandmothers who’re nervous about, nicely, we need to preserve you secure and that’s annoying. And we all know that, uh, stress can wreak havoc in your physique. You may begin to see the bodily manifestations of that present up as most cancers, present up as diabetes, present up with coronary heart points, nervousness, melancholy, the record goes on and on. You’ll be able to even develop into suicidal. That’s onerous to say, however once you really feel like you don’t have any one to speak to, it’s a really isolating feeling, Dan.
And as I saved speaking to folks in Sikeston that anticipatory stress, that saved arising.
Dan Weissmann: The anticipatory stress saved arising. Like what did folks say?
Cara Anthony: I imply, moms had been genuinely involved, genuinely involved about their youngsters, particularly once we take into consideration police violence and police killings. Now in 2020, Denzel Taylor was a younger Black father who was shot and killed by Sikeston PD. And regardless that folks actually didn’t discuss it brazenly, the physique cam footage appeared on Fb. Individuals did commerce across the video and noticed what occurred. Individuals whispered about it in the identical means folks whispered about what occurred to Cleo Wright when he was lynched in 1942. And so, they had been involved. I don’t need that to be me. I don’t need that to be my baby or grandchild. and this isn’t only a story that’s distinctive to Sikeston. And let me say that, , police violence is is in all places. Police killings happen throughout this nation. You understand, and again in 2020, there was a stat on the market that stated that Black males had a one in 1000 likelihood of being killed by the police. And so yeah, anticipatory stress is a big concern that saved arising within the reporting and one which we must be speaking about much more.
Dan Weissmann: Arising: As Cara Anthony reported on Silence in Sikeston, her dad broke a protracted silence of his personal. That’s subsequent.
An Arm and a Leg is a co-production of Public Highway Productions and KFF Well being Information. That’s a nationwide, nonprofit newsroom that produces in-depth journalism about well being points — together with Cara Anthony’s “Silence in Sikeston.” Now, again to my interview with Cara Anthony about her work.
Dan Weissmann: One factor you do within the podcast is you, um, discover how a few of these questions have come up in your individual household. And also you deliver us some intimate conversations and a few actually robust conversations. Um, what, particularly, as you had been reporting this story, your dad broke a silence of his personal to you. Um, it turned out that years earlier than you began this reporting, he had appeared into the loss of life of his personal uncle, Leemon, as a result of he’d had a way, your dad, that the tales he’d gotten from the household weren’t the entire story. And after you had began reporting the story, he confirmed you what he’d discovered. You sat collectively in his house workplace, and he confirmed you his uncle’s loss of life certificates saying Leemon Anthony was shot by police and lists the reason for his loss of life as murder, however no person was charged with against the law.
Wilbon Anthony: It says, shot by police or resisting arrest. Properly, nobody ever, I by no means heard this in my, uh, complete life. Then merchandise 21 enlisted causes of loss of life: unintended suicide or murder? And enlisted that merchandise as murder.
Cara Anthony: Okay. Okay. Um, that’s loads. I must pause.
Dan Weissmann: So that you allow us to hear your response to that and saying ‘that’s loads.’ And then you definitely allow us to hear the clicking of a tape recorder stopping. Are you able to inform us extra about that second and what occurred subsequent for you?
Cara Anthony: Yeah. I imply, look, my uncle was killed by the police in 1946 in West Tennessee. For many of my father’s life and in addition mine we had been instructed that he was killed in a wagon and mule accident. You understand, and so listening to the information round what occurred to him seeing my dad pull up what I might name virtually like a ache diary that was simply sitting on his desktop of his laptop, the place he was simply submitting away issues, gathering issues, newspaper clippings, Leemon’s loss of life certificates. Um, there’s loads to soak up in that second, and I’m nonetheless grappling with that and what meaning, and the way I’ll even share that story with my daughter someday. However yeah, it’s a ton of course of and our household remains to be processing it. You understand, I feel the subsequent step for us is making an attempt to go and discover the place Leemon Anthony is buried in Tennessee for some closure now that we all know what really occurred to him.
Dan Weissmann: Why do you suppose your dad selected that second to share what he realized with you?
Cara Anthony: He noticed me, , diving into these tales in Sikeston and I don’t know if he at all times thought that I used to be significantly inquisitive about our household story, if I cared, , um, we might go to household reunions and I used to be a child, , so I might need to exit and go bowling or go to the arcade or do no matter my youthful cousins had been doing. And I heard whispers of individuals speaking about Leemon at household reunions, however I by no means actually stopped to concentrate. And I feel as he noticed me touring backwards and forwards to Sikeston and bringing house these tales – as a result of we lived collectively whereas I used to be reporting this out– I feel he actually noticed it as a possibility for us to have a tough dialog about our household’s historical past and our household’s story. And I’m actually glad that he did as a result of it modified even my reporting strategy as soon as I spotted what my dad was protecting to himself for all these years.
Dan Weissmann: Has there been a change in your relationship along with your dad?
Cara Anthony: Yeah we’re speaking about extra and similar goes for my mother. You understand, my mother simply known as me final night time with a narrative, as a result of she, we took a household journey right down to Sikeston, um, a couple of yr and a half into my reporting and my dad and mom grew up within the rural South. And so I stated, nicely, let’s cease at a cotton area, , wouldn’t that be enjoyable? They usually’re similar to, ‘okay.’ You understand being a Black American, I perceive that cotton was weaponized and, , my enslaved ancestors obtained nothing for his or her labor. Now I’m completely conscious of that, however I had by no means been to a cotton area and I assumed it will be a great area journey for my daughter and, , my mother and I had been speaking about that final night time and she or he stated, nicely, do you know that, um, generally my grandfather when it was chilly outdoors, he would chop down your entire inventory of cotton and produce it within our house and place it in entrance of our wooden burning range in order that we may decide cotton within our home in order that we wouldn’t be too chilly, , um, through the winter months and I’m similar to ‘what?’ It’s like she’s been working like she was a grown lady since she was an elementary faculty pupil. And that was actually onerous for me to consider, to course of. I used to be actually unhappy when she shared that story with me. I spotted that it knowledgeable how she raised me and my siblings and even how she interacts with my daughter. And so, I used to be grateful, but in addition simply emotionally devastated as a result of these are completely vital conversations and I at all times take into consideration now, like, what if I hadn’t raised my hand to go to Sikeston? Would I’ve missed all of this? So I’m actually grateful and grateful that they’re now opening up and sharing these tales as tragic and as horrific as they might be. These are vital conversations.
Dan Weissmann: You’ve talked about right here and also you talked about within the podcast that you’ve a sort of ongoing interior dialog with your self about as a dad or mum, how do you share and when do you share, um, these tales along with your daughter. You hear a dialog that you’ve along with your daughter that’s, , I feel an instance of aiming to, um, create house for nearer communication. I’ll play it right here.
Cara Anthony: Sit over, come over right here, come over right here, critically, do you keep in mind a few weeks in the past once you had been crying and I instructed you to repair your what?
Lily: Face.
Cara Anthony: That wasn’t very good. I need you to know that we. Can discuss issues, as a result of once we discuss issues, we regularly really feel higher, proper?
Lily: Sure.
Cara Anthony: Can we preserve speaking to one another whilst you develop up, in life, about stuff, even onerous stuff?
Lily: Like, doing 100 math information?
Cara Anthony: Positive. That’s the largest factor in your life proper now, however sure, all of that. We’re simply going to maintain speaking to one another. So can we make a promise?
Lily: Yeah.
Dan Weissmann: It’s such a stunning dialog and also you select to finish that second episode with that. Why is that the top of that episode?
Cara Anthony: To begin with, I simply need to level out that I hope everybody heard just like the hesitation in my daughter’s voice after I stated, can we make a promise, like constructing belief is like so essential and I feel we ended the episode that means, partly as a result of Lily represents the subsequent era that may come up and, and lead us, but in addition as a result of it’s simply uncooked and actual. And I don’t need my daughter to ‘hush and repair her face,’ however relatively to precise her feelings, say what’s flawed if one thing’s flawed. And so we wished folks to really feel the authenticity of that second and to have folks perceive that it begins younger and it begins now. And I’m not going to get it proper all the time, however a professor who’s in that episode. Her title is Aiesha Lee. She’s at Penn State College.
And one of many quotes that she offers us is so profound the place she says, and I’m paraphrasing just a little right here however she says like, every era has like a chunk of the work to do as a result of these points and issues have compounded over generations, over time. And so, , even a small dialog like that and what we’re doing now right here, Dan, this can be a piece of the work, , and if we give it some thought like that, that basically offers me a number of peace, understanding that, okay, I can’t repair it in a single day. I can’t do all of it, however I can a minimum of do my half and that’s what we’re making an attempt to do.
Dan Weissmann:Close to the top of the documentary, proper, there’s — there’s a ceremony, basically in Sikeston of individuals filling jars with soil– to the sort of museum and Establishment that Bryan Stevenson created in Montgomery, Alabama. It’s known as the Legacy Museum, is that proper? It connects these lots of of years of historical past from enslavement, mass incarceration, together with lynching. And there’s an exhibit there, lots of of jars stuffed with soil and each is from a spot the place lynchings occurred. And so right here we see folks from Sikeston filling jars to ship there. As I noticed it, , within the documentary, the best way that scene is introduced. You see folks smiling. Um, , you see folks experiencing some sort of satisfaction. Satisfaction isn’t the suitable phrase. I imply what’s behind these smiles…
Cara Anthony: It’s redemption. It’s redemption. You understand, it’s like, um, early on within the course of, I used to be watching a number of totally different, um, TED talks about communities that had related, , racial reckoning experiences. And I ran throughout one which talked about The three R’s of historical past, which is, , the three R’s are acknowledge, restore, redeem. It’s important to acknowledge what occurred, , as a way to restore it. So you need to say, sure, you might be wounded. Now let’s determine methods to repair the wound in an effort to have days of redemption and transfer ahead. And that’s actually what you noticed in that exact scene however that doesn’t imply the work is full. And there are folks that don’t need a marker for Cleo Wright within the metropolis, even at the moment. So let’s not, – I simply don’t need to paint an image of perfection or that every thing is okay now, as a result of there’s nonetheless a lot that must be accomplished. that’s my greatest factor with this, is that this can be a start line. Um, we’re not on the end line but.
Dan Weissmann: Cara, thanks a lot.
Cara Anthony: Thanks. [music]
Dan Weissmann: Cara Anthony is Midwest Correspondent for KFF Well being Information. You will discover the documentary Silence in Sikeston on the PBS app, or on YouTube.
Silence in Sikeston, the podcast, is accessible — wherever you get your podcasts. We’ll have a hyperlink wherever you’re listening.
We’ll be again in a couple of weeks with a narrative I feel you’ll positively need to hear. Holden Karau has been constructing a software that’ll allow you to use synthetic intelligence to jot down appeals when medical insurance denies a declare. Her software is known as Combat Well being Insurance coverage, and the slogan is: Make your insurance coverage firm cry, too.
That’s subsequent time. Until then, handle your self.
This episode of An Arm and a Leg was produced by me, Dan Weissmann, with assist from Emily Pisacreta — and edited by Ellen Weiss.
Adam Raymonda is our audio wizard. Our music is by Dave Weiner and Blue Dot Periods. Gabrielle Healy is our managing editor for viewers.
Lynne Johnson is our operations supervisor. Bea Bosco is our consulting director of operations.
An Arm and a Leg is produced in partnership with KFF Well being Information. That’s a nationwide newsroom producing in-depth journalism about healthcare in America and a core program at KFF, an impartial supply of well being coverage analysis, polling, and journalism.
Zach Dyer is senior audio producer at KFF Well being Information. He’s editorial liaison to this present.
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