EMMETT TILL
There is a spirit of hatred and an entity of white supremacy that allowed injustice to roar bold as a lion during the era of Jim Crow. In the summer of 1955, Emmett Louis Till kissed his mom goodbye as he hopped on a train not knowing it was going to be his last time seeing her. Emmett went to Money, Mississippi to spend time with his cousins. This 14-year-old boy was visiting from Chicago. In the north things were a bit different but Jim Crow was still prevalent in Chicago. The state of Mississippi was notorious for lynchings, racial intimidation, and dehumanizing black folks by any means necessary. Emmett allegedly walked into a local store to get candy with his cousins and whistled at a white woman by the name of Carolyn Bryant. Mrs. Bryant owned the store with her husband Roy Bryant. She claimed Emmett Till said other things to her. Bryant’s husband found out about the incident. Roy Bryant and his half-brother J .W. Milam decided they had to teach Till a lesson. They came to Moses Wright’s home where Emmett Till was staying and dragged him out of the house early in the morning. Then Roy and J.W. murdered Emmett Till. They mutilated his body. They shot him, they cut off body parts, and tied him up in barb wire. Several days later Emmett Till’s body was found in the Tallahassee River. The brutal lynching of Emmett Till sparked the arousal of the Civil Rights Movement. It was beyond horrific. Rosa Parks was so affected by this injustice, she refused to comply with the separate but equal law, and she decided not to sit on the back of the bus. This is Black History you and your kids should know about. Unfortunately, it is 2020 and some folks haven’t even heard of Emmett Till. I hope you are sitting down for my last sentence. In 2017 Carolyn Bryant did an interview with Timothy Tyson. It is alleged that she lied about Till's death. She expressed sorrow and guilt for what happened to Emmett Till. If this is true, Emmett Till died over a lie. Emmett Till's mom Mamie Till did not believe her son did what he was accused of. Although other folks have gone to jail for crimes committed years ago, none of the three conspirators never paid for their crimes. Emmett Till did not receive any justice. They re-opened the case but by that time Roy and J.W. had both died of cancer. The Justice Department had a lot of grace and mercy for Carolyn Bryant. They decided not to persecute Carolyn Bryant.
Freedom and equality were constantly absent during this time and even to this day. Roy Bryant and J.W. Milan went to trial and was acquitted by an all-white jury. I know, I know, you’re so surprised, right? They became famous in light of killing Emmett Till as though it was a good deed. They even sold their story to Look Magazine conceding to their guilt of the murder for $4000. Yes, they nicely bragged on this young boy’s murder. If this story is not the best example of why white supremacy should be shared with your young people, I don’t know what is! Therefore, knowing your history is extremely important. America still has a very hard time dealing with it's racial issues.
Freedom and equality were constantly absent during this time and even to this day. Roy Bryant and J.W. Milan went to trial and was acquitted by an all-white jury. I know, I know, you’re so surprised, right? They became famous in light of killing Emmett Till as though it was a good deed. They even sold their story to Look Magazine conceding to their guilt of the murder for $4000. Yes, they nicely bragged on this young boy’s murder. If this story is not the best example of why white supremacy should be shared with your young people, I don’t know what is! Therefore, knowing your history is extremely important. America still has a very hard time dealing with it's racial issues.
There are some folks who want and lust for the legacy of Emmett Till to go away. Shame on you if you agree. I will tell you why that’s not going to happen. Why should it? We will never forget what was allowed to happen to Emmett Louis Till. They wanted to have a closed casket at Emmett's funeral but Mamie Till said no way! She wanted the world to see what Roy Bryant and J.W. Milan had done to her only child! My grandmother said that Emmett's death saved a lot of black boys from being lynched like Emmett Till, during that time. Black families to this day, have to train their sons how to interact with law enforcement so that they can come home safe and alive. What other families do you know who has to do that? African American people are still experiencing a high frequency of racial injustice, coupled with racism and inhumane treatment. Black men are perceived as a threat to society. It doesn't even matter if they are not. They are judged by their skin color. Not all black men plus boys, are a threat. Black folks still have to work twice as hard to prove they are worthy to be, to live, and to dream. Black folks still struggle to find real freedom, economically, politically and socially. I think Coretta Scot King articulated it quite well when she said, “Struggle is a never-ending process. Freedom is never really won, you earn it and win it in every generation.”
