Case studies: How journalists are using history to reframe stories on racial inequities
The Investigative Project on Race and Equity’s recent training on Investigating History for Reparative Storytelling gave journalists practical tools for weaving historical context into their reporting.
Led by investigative reporter Logan Jaffe of ProPublica and journalist and public historian Laura Kebede-Twumasi, the session focused on how archives, oral histories and community records can help reporters reveal how systemic racism shapes today’s news.
The training also highlighted real-world case studies where reporters applied these methods.
Civil Wrongs podcast
Kebede-Twumasi shared her podcast Civil Wrongs, which revisits episodes of racial violence in the South that were ignored or underreported at the time.
In one episode, Kebede-Twumasi investigated the 1974 police killing of Elton Hayes, a Black man in Memphis. At the time, local coverage was minimal, and the story faded without broader accountability.
Decades later, Kebede-Twumasi used archival research to piece together what happened and located Hayes’s relatives, who had never been publicly interviewed. Bringing their voices into the present gave the family a chance to tell their story on their own terms, while connecting the 1974 killing to ongoing conversations about policing and racial justice in Memphis.
This project illustrates how revisiting past harms can create space for silenced voices.
It also shows how archives can act as a bridge between the past and present, helping communities reckon with long-buried traumas that still resonate today.
Sundown towns in Illinois
Jaffe described her ProPublica investigation into Illinois “sundown towns,” communities that systematically excluded Black residents through intimidation, violence and discriminatory housing policies.
Using census data, oral histories and local archives, Jaffe documented how these towns maintained their whiteness across generations.
One of her stories focused on Anna, Illinois, a town whose name became shorthand for exclusion (“Ain’t No [N-word] Allowed”). Jaffe’s reporting unearthed census records showing decades of demographic shifts, as well as oral histories from Black families who were pushed out.
In another town, a Facebook history group debated on Jaffe’s story so intensely that moderators temporarily removed it. Jaffe said the backlash was proof of how deeply communities are invested into their own narratives, and how confronting exclusionary histories can provoke both resistance and meaningful dialogue.
This reporting shows how archival research can challenge communities to confront histories they would rather ignore by sparking necessary conversations about belonging and accountability.
Texas flooding investigation
Jaffe also returned to her reporting on catastrophic floods in Texas.
After a storm devastated a rural community, officials described the flooding as “unprecedented.” But Jaffe turned to oral histories and local archives to uncover decades of testimony and records that told a different story.
Residents had long warned of flooding, with evidence in local newsletters, community histories and interviews passed down through generations.
By putting these accounts alongside government claims, Jaffe reframed the story to show the disaster wasn’t unforeseeable, and was instead the result of long-term neglect.
Jaffe’s reporting demonstrated how archives can be used to debunk official narratives and hold institutions accountable. It also showed how listening to community memory can change the frame of a news story from accident to injustice.
Applying it to your reporting
The trainers encouraged participants to think about how these lessons apply to their own beats, whether that be housing, policing, education, climate or something else.
Reporters can always ask:
What is the precedent for this issue?
Who has been excluded from the record, and how can I seek their voices now?
Which archives, oral histories or community collections might shift the story’s frame?
They emphasized that weaving history into journalism doesn’t always require long investigations. Even a single line noting that a policy or slogan has roots in segregation can add crucial context.
By applying these practices, reporters can deepen accuracy, elevate silenced voices and build trust with the communities most affected by systemic racism.