Emmett’s Immortalization
President Joe Biden announced plans to sign a proclamation for three new national monument sights to the tribute of Emmett Till. True to his words, on July 25, the anniversary of Emmett’s birthday, Biden signed the proclamation. Till, Chicago born, was kidnapped, tortured, and killed at age 14 while visiting family in Mississippi, in 1955. The heinous acts were done against Till because he was accused of flirting with a white woman. His tragic death, however, sparked great progress and camaraderie within the Civil Rights Movement.
The three monument sights are all intrinsic to the poignant case of Emmett Till. One location will be Graball Landing, Mississippi. The area where locals believe Till’s body was pulled from the Tallahatchie River. There is a sign at the same location in memory of Till. It has been regularly stolen and vandalized in the past to the point where a bulletproof sign had to be erected in place.
A second location will be the Tallahatchie County Second District Courthouse. The Mississippi courthouse where Emmett Till’s killers, Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam, were acquitted by an all-white jury. Also where Carolyn Bryant, his accuser, would falsely testify against him. Decades later in 2007, the Tallahatchie courthouse would invite his living family for an apology.
Lastly, the Chicago location at the Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ, where it was reported 1,700 mourners filled the inside of the church while about 10,000 attended outside of the church listening to outdoor speakers. Till’s services were visited by a total of 50,000 people. His mother, still to this day, is recognized for her bravery in leaving the casket open. To show the extensive damage that had been done to his face and body.
Bittersweet Rallying
Through the shocking death of Emmett Till, those fighting for African American equality used the tragic loss to help motivate them to remember the brutality that racism harbors.
Those who testified against Bryant and Milam didn’t cower under threats thrown at them. They rallied with the NAACP, local newspapers, and civil rights organizations to expose unchecked racism.
Such as after the acquitting at the trial, Bryant’s Grocery Store was boycotted and soon after had to close. Jet magazine also took and published a photo of Emmet’s face, shocking the public with how violently he had been beaten. 100 days after his murder, Rosa Parks refused to get out of her seat at the front of the bus. Reverend Jesse Jackson stated, “Rosa said she thought about going to the back of the bus. But then she thought about Emmett Till and she couldn’t do it.” Also inspiring is 26-year-old Martin Luther King. Who at the time was a minister and spoke out against the hypocrisy.
Martin Luther King stated, “The white men who lynch Negroes worship Christ. That jury in Mississippi, which a few days ago in the Emmett Till case, freed two white men from what might be considered one of the most brutal and inhuman crimes of the twentieth century, worships Christ. The perpetrators of many of the greatest evils in our society worship Christ. This trouble is that all people, like the Pharisee, go to church regularly, they pay their tithes and offerings, and observe religiously the various ceremonial requirements. The trouble with these people, however, is that they worship Christ emotionally and not morally. They cast his ethical and moral insights behind the gushing smoke of emotional adoration and ceremonial piety.”
Currently
The plight of Emmett Till is still an example of the atrocities that can come out of racism. Leaving landmarks that remind us of our country’s history and progress toward equality. Emmett’s case, and others like his, allow us to reflect on the past and change as a society for the better.
By AriAnna Rathers
Sources:
ABC 7 News– Emmett Till lynching: Biden to establish national monument honoring Chicago teen in IL, MS
ABC 7 News– Emmett Till remembered in Chicago ahead of what would have been 82nd birthday
Chicago Sun-Times– Biden to create Emmett Till national monument at Chicago church where his open casket was displayed
National Museum of African American History and Culture -Emmett Till’s Death Inspired a Movement
NPR– Biden designates a national monument honoring Emmett Till and his mother
PBS– The Impact of Emmett Till’s Murder
Politico– A Biden nod for Emmett Till in Chicago
Featured Image by Nick Number Courtesy of Wikimedia – Creative Commons License
First Image: Courtesy of NPCA Photos’ Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
