DocuQuarium

At this month’s roundtable meeting in May 2025, filmmaker Brad Lichtenstein gave us a powerful behind-the-scenes look at American Reckoning , his PBS documentary co-directed with Yoruba Richen . The film takes a hard, honest look at the 1967 murder of Wharlest Jackson Sr.—a Black civil rights leader in Natchez, Mississippi—and the deep-rooted racial violence still haunting America. Lichtenstein didn’t hold back, diving into the haunting legacy of white denial and why confronting it matters more than ever. The documentary shines thanks to rare footage and heartfelt stories from Jackson’s family, especially his wife, Exerlena, whose personal home videos bring emotional weight and humanity to the screen. We also learned about the Deacons for Defense and Justice (yes, an armed Black resistance group you probably didn’t hear about in school!) and the fearless journalism of Stanley Nelson, who connected Jackson’s death to a KKK splinter group. Yet, chillingly, the case remains unsolved—a...