Authors and academics take a look at the evolution of Philadelphia, MS

“Confederate Reckoning,” a collaborative series from the USA TODAY Network and newsrooms spanning the South, explores the legacy of the Confederacy, Reconstruction and the Jim Crow era and their influence on communities today. Furman University’s Claire Whitlinger, an assistant professor of sociology, contributes to the series in an article about Philadelphia, Mississippi, and the change it has undergone since the 1964 murders of civil rights activists Michael Schwerner, Andrew Goodman and James Chaney.

Citing “profound transformation” across Philadelphia and the greater Neshoba County, she said, “I would encourage Neshoba Countians to continue remembering the 1964 murders and…how the 1964 murders have been remembered…That story is as important as the details of what occurred in 1964, and it is often overlooked.” Her comments appeared in The Tennessean.

Whitlinger, author of “Between Remembrance and Repair: Commemorating Racial Violence in Philadelphia, Mississippi” (University of North Carolina Press, 2020), is the 2019 recipient of Furman’s Meritorious Diversity & Inclusion Award for faculty. She holds a bachelor’s from George Washington University and advanced degrees in sociology from the University of Michigan.