On August 28, 1955, 14-year-old Emmett Till was brutally murdered by two men after he was accused of making advances at a white store clerk while visiting family in Mississippi. His face disfigured, the images of Till’s body at his open casket funeral made headlines and helped inspire the Civil Rights Movement. Although Till’s killers were never brought to justice, his accuser eventually confessed that the entire story was made up.
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As we mark the 70th anniversary of Till’s death, we’re looking at the story behind one of the most tragic events in Black history.
Born in Chicago
Emmett Till was born on July 25, 1941 in Chicago. He was the only child of Louis and Mamie Till. Emmett’s parents separated shortly after his birth, and Mamie raised her son as a single mother while working as a clerk for the United States Air Force.
A Summer in Mississippi
During the summer of 1955, Till’s great uncle, Moses Wright, came from Mississippi to visit the family in Chicago. When he was ready to return to the South, Wright planned to take one of Till’s cousins with him. Although Emmett’s mother was planning a road trip of her own to Nebraska with her son, Emmett begged his mother to make the trip to Mississippi instead.
An Accusation
On August 24, 1955, three days after arriving in Money, Mississippi, Till went to buy candy at Bryant’s Grocery and Meat Market with a group of teens. After leaving the store, Carolyn Bryant, a white female cashier who was also the store owner’s wife, accused Till of whistling at her.
A Brutal Murder
Around 2:30 a.m. on August 28, Carolyn’s husband, Roy Bryant, and his half-brother J.W. Milam came to Till’s uncle Moses Wright’s home and kidnapped the teen. After brutally beating him, they shot him in the head, tied him to a large metal fan, and threw his body into the Tallahatchie River. Till’s body was discovered on August 31. Although his face was unrecognizable, he was identified by a ring he was wearing, which was engraved with his father’s initials.
Open Casket Funeral
Once Till’s body was returned to Chicago, his mother made the decision to have a funeral with an open casket. Thousands of people came to pay their respects and view Till’s body. Although she said it was heartbreaking to see her son in that state, his mother said she wanted the world to see the violence her son was subjected to.
Media Coverage
Till’s mother’s decision got the desired result. The heart-wrenching images of his body made national headlines when they were shared in both Jet and the Chicago Defender.
Trial By Jury
In September 1955, Bryant and Milam went to trial for Till’s murder. Although there was overwhelming evidence, including testimony from Till’s uncle Moses Wright, who came forward and identified Bryant and Milam as the kidnappers, the men were ultimately acquitted by an all-white, all-male jury.
A “Shocking” Story
One year after their acquittal, Bryant and Milam confessed to Till’s murder in a Jan. 24, 1956 interview with Look magazine. In the story, which was titled, “The Shocking Story of Approved Killing in Mississippi,” the two shared the details of Till’s gruesome murder. According to History.com, the men were paid $4,000 for sharing their story.
A Plea for Justice
After her son’s killers were acquitted, Till’s mother wrote a personal letter to then-President Dwight D. Eisenhower asking for help. She asked that justice be “meted out to all persons involved in the beastly lynching of my son.” However, she never received a response from Eisenhower or anyone in the administration.
Impact on the Civil Rights Movement
The injustice surrounding Till’s murder served as inspiration for many of the events of the Civil Rights Movement. Rosa Parks said she was thinking about the teen when she refused to give him her seat on that Alabama bus, the moment that launched the Montgomery bus boycott.
A Confession
More than 50 years after Till’s brutal murder, his accuser changed her story. In 2007, a then-72-year-old Carolyn Bryant spoke with Timothy Tyson, a researcher at Duke University, and told him that Till never came on to her.
“That part’s not true,” Bryant told Tyson who wrote the book, “The Blood of Emmett Till.” Carolyn Bryant passed away in April 2023 at 89.
A National Monument
In 2023, President Joe Biden established a monument honoring Till that includes over five acres across three sites that represent the story of the young man’s life and tragic death, including the church where is funeral was held.
“I can’t fathom what it must have been like,” Biden said at a event marking the occasion. “I know no matter how much time has passed, how many birthdays, how many events, how many anniversaries, it’s hard to relive this.”
Never Forget
Although Emmett Till’s life was cut tragically short, his memory is kept alive by many, including Rev. Bernice King, who posted a touching tribute on X to honor his life, writing, “We must never forget Emmett’s Life, the brutal way it ended, the past and present dangers of racism and the courage of his mother, #MamieTillMobley.
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