Ernest Withers
Ernest Withers was an African-American journalist who documented black life in the segregated Southern United States. Dubbed the “original civil rights photographer,” he photographed Martin Luther King Jr., Medgar Evers, James Lawson, and many others. He was also a paid informant for the FBI. That news broke in 2010, after the Memphis Commercial Appeal published a report by Marc Perrusquia. Withers provided the FBI with more than 1,400 photos and written reports about civil rights workers and peace activists. In return, he was paid $20,088. In “Unfinished: Ernie’s Secret,” host and journalist Wesley Lowery details the life and work of Withers; how he earned the trust of civil rights leaders; and how a clerical error forced the FBI to confirm his status as an informant.