“There are those who are alive, yet never live. There are those who are dead, yet will live forever. Great deeds inspire and encourage the living.”
Inscription on the gravestone of James Earl Chaney, murdered by Edgar Ray Killen on June 21st, 1964.
This book contains the extraordinary true story of James Stern’s journey from the violent streets of South Central Los Angeles to the prison cell of notorious KKK leader Edgar Ray Killen in Mississippi and out again to freedom. It covers the history of race relations in America over the course of more than a half-century, with new and shocking insight provided by my own personal experience and by the remarkable letters written by the hand of Killen himself.
Here you’ll find a history that’s not been told anywhere before. It’s a history of hope and hate, desperation and determination. Most of all, this book is a testament to the human spirit and the core truth of the racial divide: there is only one race, the human race.
Mississippi Still Burning is available at Barnes and Noble and Amazon.
Reverend Stern has made waves in 2019 with his takeover of the white supremacist group the National Socialist Movement. It’s another chapter in a life that has been rife with activism and positive change. I’m proud to continue to work with him as he challenges racism in all its forms.
In October of 2019, James lost his battle with bladder cancer. Over the years that we worked together, James became a close friend and a dear confidant to me. Grief teaches us to cherish what we have. He is deeply missed, but his legacy lives on through his daughter. Death is not the end of the story for Reverend Stern, as our work to keep his dream alive is just beginning.
Southern Poverty Law Center: Neo-Nazi Group NSM Faces New Upheaval After James Hart Stern’s Death
CNN: A black activist took over a neo-Nazi group with plans to destroy it. He died before he could
CNN: Black man becomes head of neo-Nazi group he intends to destroy
Newsweek: WHO IS JAMES HART STERN? BLACK MAN WHO LEADS NEO-NAZI GROUP VOWS TO ERADICATE THEM
The Guardian: How ‘race whisperer’ seized control of a US neo-Nazi group
The Root: Real Life ‘BlacKkKlansman’ Seeks to Dismantle Neo-Nazi Group He Is Now the Leader Of