Emmett Till

Emmett Till Family Responds to Death of Carolyn Bryant Donham

The Rev. Wheeler Parker Jr., a cousin of the slain youth, expressed regret that no one would be held accountable for the killing, but reminded that there remains a collective accountability for overcoming racial injustice. 

How "Till" Stands out Among Civil Rights Films

"Till" shows that it is no longer possible for a movie about the civil rights era to put historical Black characters in the shadow of white protagonists. 

Koritha Mitchell Discusses Representation of Racist Violence and "Till"

Prof. Mitchell and host Karen Hunter discuss who the audience is for "Till" and whether movies about lynching are needed today. 

Education or Trauma: Debating the Movie Presentation of "Till"

Despite the violence and brutality of the subject matter, historian Keisha Blain calls the upcoming Emmett Till film essential viewing in a time when it can't be assumed that everyone knows the story. 

Filmmaker Hopes Emmett Till Movie Will Spur New Evidence and Will to Pursue Justice

Filmmaker Keith Beauchamp hopes to "shake the trees so that a justice-seeking atmosphere could be formed that will allow people to feel comfortable coming forward with new evidence on the case.”

Emmett Till's Lynching Catalyzed the Reactionary Denunciation of the "Liberal Media"

by Chris Lamb

To reactionary Southerners and white supremacists, media accounts of Emmett Till's murder had to be dismissed as "fake news" and countered with their own misinformation. 

Till's Accuser's Memoir Shows the Pandora's Box She Opened has Never Closed

by Peniel E. Joseph

"What does it say about America that we are still in search of justice for the victim of an almost 70-year-old crime that helped spark the modern civil rights movement?"

Charles Blow: Don't Shed Tears for Carolyn Bryant Donham

In a newly-discovered unpublished memoir, the woman who accused Emmett Till of making sexual advances presents a self-serving account of her role in the events that led to his murder. 

Mississippi AG Will Not Reopen Till Lynching Case Despite Discovered Warrant for Carolyn Donham

The state's top prosecutor said that despite the discovery of the warrant and the publication of Ms. Donham's memoir, the woman at the center of the Till lynching will not be prosecuted. 

Unserved Warrant for Carolyn Bryant Donham's Arrest in Till Lynching Discovered in Box in Courthouse Basement

The 1955 document demonstrates that the authorities in Leflore County believed that Donham, for whose honor the lynching was allegedly carried out, was present for the teenager's abduction, torture, or murder. 

Justice Department Closes Emmett Till Investigation Without Charges

Historian Timothy Tyson wrote in a 2017 book that witness Carolyn Bryant Donham disavowed her testimony that Till had grabbed her and made suggestive remarks before he was lynched. The DOJ has said that materials given them by Tyson did not corroborate the claim of a recantation. 

Journalist William Huie Concealed Lynchers In Emmett Till Case And Got Away With It

The commonly-know story of Emmett Till's lynching has long been distorted because a journalist who reported the accounts of two acquitted killers had written out other conspirators from the story for legal reasons. 

‘He Had a Life Before Death’: Remembering Emmett Till for the Child He Was

Emmett Till's cousin Ollie Gordon describes Till's personality at what would be his 80th birthday, reminding us that he was a person, and not just a martyr.

Emmett Till’s Home, a Launching Pad for the Civil Rights Movement, Deserves Landmark Status

Landmark status would further honor Emmett and Mamie Till’s tragic but critical role in American history.

White supremacists gathered at Emmett Till’s bulletproof memorial to shoot a video

White supremacists visited Emmett Till's memorial causing dismay to many.  

Due to Repeated Vandalism, Emmett Till Memorial to Be Replaced With Bulletproof Sign

by Brigit Katz

Most recently, three University of Mississippi students were suspended from their fraternity after posing in front of the sign with guns.

Misery and memory in Glendora, Mississippi: How poverty is reshaping the story of Emmett Till’s murder

by Dave Tell

As Till’s story has been passed down through the generations and taken up by a range of memorials, its plot has been shaped by forces like poverty as much as by fidelity to historical fact.

Emmett Till's Murder and How America Remembers Its Darkest Moments

He walked into a store and it changed civil rights. That crumbling store has come to symbolize the struggle to address the nation’s racial violence.

Counterfactual History: Rest in Peace, Emmett Till.

by Elliott Gorn

An imaginative account of the life 14 year old Emmett Till never got the chance to live.

The spot where Emmett Till’s body was found is marked by this sign. People keep shooting it up.

At the spot marking where Till’s body was pulled from the river, it took just 35 days since installation for a replacement sign to be pierced by gunfire. Again.