Mabel Norris Reese was a courageous journalist who exposed rampant corruption and racism among Lake County's leading law enforcement and judicial officials during the Jim Crow era of the 1950s. Her groundbreaking coverage revealed widespread cases of planted evidence, false arrests, brutal beatings, and premeditated murders. Her life was threatened, a cross was burned in her yard, her home was bombed, and her business was vandalized at the hands of vigilantes. Yet she faced down these threats with a relentless pursuit of truth and justice. Her quest to ensure civil rights reflects the highest qualities of humanity and continues to underscore the importance of a free press.