We’re sharing the first episode of “Silence in Sikeston,” a new podcast from KFF Health News and WORLD

The 1942 lynching of Cleo Wright. The 2020 police shooting of Denzel Taylor. Two Black men killed nearly 80 years apart by a public health threat of their time. Silence in Sikeston explores what it means to live with racism and violence, then charts the toll on our health — from hives, high blood pressure, inflammation and heart disease to struggles with mental health. 

All four episodes of Silence of Sikeston are available now on Apple, Spotify, or PRX.

AMERICAN DIAGNOSIS with Dr. Céline Gounder

[email protected] (KFF Health News and JUST HUMAN PRODUCTIONS)

BONUS / WORLD Channel Presents: Silence in Sikeston

DEC 9, 202426 MIN
AMERICAN DIAGNOSIS with Dr. Céline Gounder

BONUS / WORLD Channel Presents: Silence in Sikeston

DEC 9, 202426 MIN

Description

In 1942, Cleo Wright was removed from a Sikeston, Missouri, jail and lynched by a mob. Nearly 80 years later, Denzel Taylor was killed by police in the same community. The deaths of these two Black fathers tell a story about the public health consequences of racism and systemic bias. Meet residents determined to live healthier lives after generations of community silence. “Silence in Sikeston” is the podcast about finding the words to say the things that go unsaid. This is an invitation. Perhaps this journalism, these stories, will spark a conversation that you’ve been meaning to have.

All four episodes of Silence of Sikeston are available now on Apple, Spotify, or PRX

To hear all KFF Health News podcasts, click here.