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Illustration by Charles Chaisson
A mural depicts hands raised against a warm sky with images that evoke civil-rights era figures.

Who we are & what we do

The Civil Rights Cold Case Records Review Board is a nonpartisan panel of private citizens, appointed by President Biden, who are working to release the contents of federal investigations into unresolved cold cases from the civil rights era. In making these records publicly available, the goal is to provide a measure of clarity to relatives of victims, and also provide a more comprehensive picture of a dark chapter in our nation’s history. Find out more.

“After all this time, we might not solve every one of these cold cases, but my hope is that our efforts will, at the very least, help us find some long overdue healing and understanding of the truth.”

- Sen. Doug Jones, July 10, 2018, on the floor of the U.S. Senate

Newly released cases

  1. Leroy Bradwell was a 26-year-old veteran of World War II. He lived in Gadsden County, Florida, near the border with Georgia.

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    View records at National Archives

  2. Portrait of Samuel Sawyer

    Rev. Samuel Earl Sawyer, Sr. was approximately 39 years old. He was the father of five children and lived in Atlanta, Georgia.

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    View records at National Archives

  3. Portrait of Hattie DeBardelaben

    Hattie DeBardelaben was a 46-year-old farmer and mother of eight children. She lived in Autauga County, Alabama, between Selma and Montgomery.

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    View records at National Archives

“We have an obligation. We have a mission. We have a mandate. The blood of hundreds of innocent men and women is calling out to us.”

- Rep. John Lewis

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To get updates, including notification of newly released cases, please join our email list.

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