ýҕl

Skip to content
Silence in Sikeston

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

Cara Anthony
ýҕl Health News
Midwest correspondent Cara Anthony joined ýҕl Health News in 2019. She won a 2021 Edward R. Murrow award for Excellence in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion reporting and her reporting on gun violence earned a 2021 Salute to Excellence Award from the National Association of Black Journalists. Cara is a native of East St. Louis, Illinois, and a graduate of Tennessee State University.

• • •

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 ýҕl 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?
Coming 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 , on , on the , or below. Visit YouTube to .