Remembering Emmett Till

By: Makaila Gaston

This week, we reviewed a virtual reality documentary that explored Emmett Till’s murder. In the African American community this is a horror story that everyone knows about and so nothing about this story really surprised myself or probably anyone with a similar background.

For those who are unfamiliar with the story of Emmett Till, then fourteen year old Till was visiting relatives in Mississippi when he was accused of harassing a white woman. He was later abducted, beaten and murdered by her relatives. The men on trial for his gruesome death were acquitted.

“But the verdict is what I had expected to be given.” -Mamie Till

Films such as these are important for those who don’t grow up listening to these stories. It’s important to pass these tales on through generations and preserve these stories. For people who aren’t aware of this reality, they assume these issues are so far removed. However, this happened in 1955, only 68 years ago. My grandfather was one year old. For us, this is not far removed, especially because of the reality that this wasn’t the last time something like this has happened. People may think lynchings and the killing of unarmed black people is a gruesome detail of the past however these things happen in modern day.

This is the reason why those at the Emmett Till Interpretive Center wish to preserve the legacy of Till in Mississippi with markers on the sites significant to his death. However, locations such as the grocery store where Till first encountered Carolyn Bryant Donham and the barn where he was brutally beaten and tortured have been unsuccessful in being marked.

Jessie Jaynes-Diming, a Emmett Till Interpretive Center board member, stated that due to vandalism, they replaced the River Site sign marking where Till’s body was first recovered. They are due soon to replace it with a bullet proof sign however, she doesn't want to replace it again. She wants people to see the way that people feel about his death. If you visit their website, there is a photo of this sign with the many bullet holes in it, which I think is a great way to shine light on exactly that.

The narrator of the film says that “in so many ways this embodies the push and pull of public memory and the question of how America chooses to forget or face its history.”

Something that would be interesting to hear is the point of view of those who don’t want Emmett Till’s story to be remembered. Is it because they’d rather forget such a gruesome act or is this an act of disrespect toward his legacy?

Recently, Carolyn Bryant Donham, the woman who claimed Till whistled at her 68 years ago which led to his death, came out and admitted she lied. Her story is one I think would be worth sharing. What was her thought process? Why did she lie? Did she have any remorse after seeing what her actions had resulted in? These are questions that I have that deserve an answer and after being in this course for the past couple of weeks, I’ve learned that every unanswered question can result in a story.

After watching this film, I believe that the Emmett Till Interpretive Center has already done so much great work. I’d advise that they continue the fight to get all of the sites marked and preserved. To memorialize Till's story, I’d love the idea of Emmett Till Day, even if it just begins locally initially, but a day solely dedicated to celebrating his life and the mark that he left on that town and history is something definitely worthwhile.