November 5
Jerry "Boo" Mitchell is one of my heroes. He was a student at Harding just before I was and I grew up reading his column in the university's paper. After graduation, Boo became Jerry and got a respectable job as a reporter at the Jackson, Mississippi Clarion-Ledger. During his time there, he has done tremendous job at tracking down information leading to arrests and convictions in several previously unsolved civil rights cases.
On Thursday, I was able to meet him and hear him tell his story. He is a humble, convicted man of faith. He's had death threats against him and his family. His response? "We're not to fear man; we're to fear God. God is a God of justice."
It was like meeting Atticus Finch.
My boys are fans now. Huge fans. He was so kind as he spoke to them, encouraging them to learn more about southern history and the civil rights movement. 
If pop culture is more your speed, go find the movie, "Ghosts of Mississippi." That is Jerry Mitchell's story. The story of how he found evidence that led to the conviction of Medger Evers' killer, Byron de la Beckwith. If you've read, "The Help," Evers' murder is mentioned in the book. It's one of the catalysts that convinces the Help to tell their story.
I am thankful -- so very, very thankful -- for people who do the right thing no matter what. For people who take the hard road and live by conviction.
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