Learn the harrowing story of Emmett Till, a 14-year-old African-American child who experienced horrible cruelty in Mississippi in 1955.
Explore the Civil Rights Movement’s tremendous influence on his untimely death and learn about the thought-provoking “Till Movie Exhibition,” a moving homage to his legacy that will debut on September 29.
Through this tragic narrative, learn about America’s history, perseverance, and current battle for racial justice.
Emmett Till: Who was he?
Emmett Till was a 14-year-old African-American child from Mississippi who was kidnapped, severely tortured, and killed in 1955.
Emmett Till’s story is deeply rooted in the history of the Great Migration, a significant movement of black families from the South to the North to escape harsh conditions and racial discrimination.
Emmett’s mother, Mamie Carthan, originally from Mississippi’s Delta region, moved to Argo, Illinois, near Chicago, as a young child with her family as part of this migration.
Argo received many Southern migrants, earning it the nickname “Little Mississippi.”
Mamie’s home became a haven for other recent migrants seeking jobs and housing, highlighting the challenges faced by African Americans in the South and their pursuit of better opportunities and safety in the North.
Emmett Till’s tragic story would later serve as a stark reminder of the racial injustices that persisted in America.
What happened to Emmett Till?
Emmett Till, a 14-year-old black kid from Chicago, was in Money, Mississippi, visiting family. He reportedly whistled at Carolyn Bryant, a white 21-year-old lady, setting off a terrible chain of events.
Carolyn’s husband, Roy Bryant, and his half-brother, John William Milam, took Emmett from his great-uncle’s home on the evening of August 28, 1955.
They tortured and shot the little kid before putting a 70-pound fan around his neck with barbed wire and throwing his lifeless body into the Tallahatchie River.
Emmett Till’s corpse was discovered downstream three days later. His remains were unearthed from its original interment in Alsip, Illinois, in 2005 as part of an FBI inquiry.
This heinous crime sparked the American Civil Rights Movement, symbolizing the violence and bigotry that African Americans faced in the South.
How did Till’s murder shape the Movement?
Emmett Till’s terrible murder in 1955 had a deep and long-lasting influence on the American Civil Rights Movement.
Mamie Till Bradley, his mother, insisted on an open casket burial, revealing the horrible amount of her son’s mutilation and drawing national attention to the cruelty of lynching and bigotry.
Tens of thousands of people attended Emmett Till’s burial, and photographs of his body were widely circulated, eliciting both black and white compassion across the country.
Despite initial local support for justice, Till’s killers, Roy Bryant and John William Milam were acquitted by an all-white jury in Mississippi.
However, the guys admitted to their horrible deed in a 1956 interview with Look magazine.
Emmett Till’s murder fueled the Civil Rights Movement, sparking events such as the Montgomery bus boycott and ultimately leading to the Supreme Court’s judgment that segregated buses were unconstitutional.
His memory lives on via memorials, interpretive centers, and the recently enacted Emmett Till Antilynching Act, which makes lynching a federal hate crime.
What is the “Till Movie Exhibition”?
The TILL MOVIE EXHIBITION is a stunning and tragic depiction of Emmett Till’s terrible narrative. This exhibition, created in partnership with the film’s creators, is set to open on September 29 at the Mound Bayou Museum of African American Culture and History.
“Till” digs into Emmett Till’s life and legacy, providing a devastating and thought-provoking perspective on his horrible murder and the influence it had on the Civil Rights Movement.
By bringing this exhibition to life, audiences will be able to connect with the history and relevance of Emmett Till’s narrative, shining light on the lasting significance of his legacy and America’s ongoing battle for racial justice.
