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Writer Jim Emison's new book revisits the 1940 killing of a Tennessee NAACP leader

A new book tells the story of the 1940 killing of Elbert Williams, an NAACP leader, in Brownsville, Tenn. His killers were never prosecuted, setting the stage for decades of racial violence.

Copyright 2026 NPR

Debbie Elliott
NPR National Correspondent Debbie Elliott can be heard telling stories from her native South.
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