A landmark civil case involving five African American women established a significant legal precedent nationwide in the battle against organized bigotry. A team of African American attorneys employed a lesser-known statute to triumph in a lawsuit that was initially presumed to be unsuccessful. This victory established a legal precedent that remains in use in U.S. courts to this day.
In 1980, five Black women in Chattanooga endured a shooting perpetrated by members of the Ku Klux Klan. Despite the severity of the incident, the criminal justice system delivered a lenient sentence to the attacker and released two individuals without charges. Determined to hold the white supremacist organization accountable for these atrocities, the women, with the assistance of their lawyers, orchestrated a strategy aimed at financially crippling the Klan and delivering justice to their community.
The documentary “How to Sue the Klan” directed by John Beder captures this poignant and pivotal moment in legal and civil rights history.
Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/program/witness/2025/6/11/how-to-sue-the-klan-the-landmark-case-against-racial-violence-in-the-us-2?traffic_source=rss
