By Stacy M. Brown
Ben Crump just added some fresh hardware to his shelf.
The high-profile civil rights attorney snagged a regional Emmy for producing the short documentary “How to Sue the Klan,” a film that revisits one of the most daring courtroom takedowns of the Ku Klux Klan in modern history.
Crump, along with filmmakers Cameron S. Mitchell and Raji Ramanathan and director John Beder, co-produced the 35-minute documentary, which won in the Outstanding Short Form Documentary category at the 40th Midsouth Emmy Awards in Nashville. The award, handed out by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences’ Midsouth Chapter, marks the latest honor for the project.
The film tells the story of five Black women in Chattanooga who survived a racially motivated shooting in 1980 and refused to let the Klan walk away untouched. Instead of stopping at the criminal courts, where accountability fell short, they turned to a Reconstruction-era weapon, the 1871 Ku Klux Klan Act. In 1982, a federal civil jury handed them what amounts to more than $1.5 million in today’s dollars and issued an injunction barring Klan activity in Chattanooga, effectively dismantling the local chapter.
Crump, who earlier this year was named by the National Newspaper Publishers Association as the top Black newsmakers of the first quarter of the 21st century, has long championed the case as a blueprint for using civil litigation to confront organized hate.
“How to Sue the Klan tells the grueling story of the brave women of the Chattanooga Five in their fight against injustice,” Crump said. “The film’s plot mirrors our modern times, as we still battle the ugly face of racism in our country with civil action. I am honored to be part of the outstanding team that brought this story to life and look forward to sharing it with the world.”
The Emmy win is not the documentary’s first headline. The project has also taken home an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Documentary Short and has screened at festivals nationwide. It was later acquired by PBS for its “Reel South” series, bringing the Chattanooga Five’s story to a national audience.
The documentary’s team took to social media to mark the Emmy moment, writing, “We’re honored by this recognition from NATAS and hope it brings wider attention to the story of the Chattanooga Five. This award reflects the dedication of all who worked to preserve and share their legacy. Their courage and the resolve of their legal team continue to resonate today. We dedicate this honor to the community of Chattanooga and to the families and loved ones of Fannie Mae Crumsey, Opal Jackson, Viola Ellison, Lela Mae Evans, and Katherine Johnson.”
For Crump, whose résumé already includes producing the Netflix documentary “Civil” and hosting A&E’s “Who Killed Tupac the Search For Justice,” the Emmy adds another layer to a career built at the intersection of law, media and activism.
But at the heart of the latest win are five women who turned terror into testimony and testimony into judgment, proving that sometimes the most devastating blow to hate is not delivered in the streets, but in a courtroom.
“Receiving an Emmy for [the film] is really about honoring the extraordinary courage of these five Black women from Chattanooga,” Crump stated. “They took on one of the most fear-driven organizations in American history and changed the law’s role in confronting hate. Our hope is that the film inspires a new generation of lawyers, organizers, and everyday people to use every tool we have to hold violent extremists accountable.”
