We explore how a storied civil rights photographer got caught up in a government surveillance operation that clouded his legacy.

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** THE WEEKLY REVEAL
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Saturday, Jan. 13, 2024

Hello! In this issue:
* A storied civil rights photographer was also secretly working for the FBI. We explore how the people who knew him view this revelation.
* In rural areas, solar energy developments are pitting neighbor against neighbor.


** THIS WEEK’S PODCAST
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** The Double Life of a Civil Rights Icon
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Ernest Withers in front of his photography studio in Memphis, Tennessee. Credit: Dr. Ernest C. Withers Sr., courtesy of the Withers Family Trust

Some of the most enduring photos of the civil rights movement were taken by Ernest Withers, a Memphis, Tennessee, native who earned the trust of Martin Luther King Jr. and other civil rights leaders.

But he had a secret ([link removed]) : He was also taking photos for the federal government.

This week, Pulitzer Prize-winning reporter Wesley Lowery brings us Withers’ story in an adaptation of the podcast “Unfinished: Ernie’s Secret,” from Scripps News and Stitcher.

First, we learn about Withers’ legacy and tour a museum of Withers’ photographs with his daughter, who deconstructs his famous “I Am a Man” photo of striking sanitation workers. Civil rights leader Andrew Young explains that without Withers’ photographs, they wouldn’t have had a movement.

It wasn’t until after he died that a Memphis reporter named Marc Perrusquia gained access to thousands of reports and photos taken for the FBI by Withers and made public the details of his double life. While some who knew Withers believe he betrayed the cause of civil rights, others are more forgiving: They see a larger narrative about the U.S. government’s unchecked power to spy on its own citizens and extinguish ideas and movements it felt were a threat.

This is an update of an episode that originally aired in January 2023.
Listen to the episode ([link removed])
🎧 Other places to listen: Apple Podcasts ([link removed]) , Spotify ([link removed]) , Google Podcasts ([link removed]) or wherever you get your podcasts.


** A Quote to Remember
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“It's not my first choice of things to look at. I also think beauty is in the eye of the beholder.”

Bradley Pitts lives in Copake, New York, near the site of a proposed solar farm that’s roiled the small rural community. He thinks his neighbors who oppose the development need to stop pretending they’re in a “bucolic bubble” and consider the bigger picture of climate change and what it’ll mean for their children.
Listen: Sunblocked: Resistance to Solar in Farm Country ([link removed])


** In Case You Missed It
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🎧 Gaza: A War of Weapons and Words ([link removed])

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🎧 It's Not Easy Going Green ([link removed])

This issue of The Weekly Reveal was written by Kate Howard and edited by Nikki Frick. If you enjoyed this issue, forward it to a friend ([link removed]) . Have some thoughts? Drop us a line (mailto:[email protected]) with feedback or ideas!

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