About this episode
The episode explores the overlooked victim of nazi serial killer Joseph Paul Franklin and the implications of erasing victims from narratives about racism.
Just about every source of information about nazi serial killer Joseph Paul Franklin gets the name of one of his victims wrong. In my search for information about the man who was murdered in Falls Church, Virginia in August of 1979, I came up mostly empty. We've erased a man from the story of his own murder because it's easier to tell a story about a racist than it is to talk about racism. Sources: Mel Ayton, Dark Soul of the South: The Life and Crimes of Racist Killer Joseph Paul Franklin, Potomac Press, Inc., 2011 Moon, V. The middleburg mystique: A peek inside the gates of Middleburg, Virginia. Waverley Lee Media, LLC. 2016 Matthew Exline, We Have Been Waiting Too Long: The Struggle Against Racial Segregation in Loudoun County, Virginia. Have History Will Travel Press, 2020. Carole Townsend, Blood in the Soil. Skyhorse, 2016 Douglas, John E., Ann W. Burgess, et al. Crime Classification Manual: A Standard System for Investigating and Classifying Violent Crimes. John Wiley and Sons, 2006. The Study of the Operation of Segregated Schools in Loudoun County, Virginia conducted by Teachers in the Movement Oral History Project Research Team University of Virginia School of Education…
Topics covered
- true crime
- racism
- historical analysis
- serial killers
- victim erasure
Keywords
- Joseph Paul Franklin
- Falls Church
- 1979
- racism
- serial killer
- victim
- true crime
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Potomac Press, Inc., Waverley Lee Media, LLC, Have History Will Travel Press, Skyhorse, John Wiley and Sons, University of Virginia School of Education and Human Development, Teachers in the Movement Oral History Project Research Team, ACLU of Northern California
Books & works: Dark Soul of the South: The Life and Crimes of Racist Killer Joseph Paul Franklin, The middleburg mystique: A peek inside the gates of Middleburg, Virginia, We Have Been Waiting Too Long: The Struggle Against Racial Segregation in Loudoun County, Virginia, Blood in the Soil, Crime Classification Manual: A Standard System for Investigating and Classifying Violent Crimes
Places: Falls Church, Virginia
More episodes of Weird Little Guys
- Klan Camp · June 11, 2026 · 49 min
- Outside Agitators · June 4, 2026 · 52 min
- In Loving Memory of Laura & Mike Sullivan · June 4, 2026 · 11 min
- It's One Nazi Rally, Donald, How Much Could It Cost? · May 28, 2026 · 46 min
- Nazis React to the President Saying They Aren't Real · May 21, 2026 · 44 min
- The Southern Poverty Law Center Did Not Plan Unite the Right · May 14, 2026 · 49 min
Explore listener stats, chart rankings, contacts and more on the Weird Little Guys podcast page.