The Emmett Till

Story

“I was tired and sat in the first available seat.”Rosa was tired of the mistreatment, racism, segregation, and Jim Crow laws she and other African-Americans had endured for years as she sat looking out the window …

“The only thing Rosa Parks

thought about was the boy, Emmett Till.”

The bus driver told her to

move or I’ll call the police. She

said “Call them”.

Emmett TillEmmett spent time begging his mother to let him go visit relatives in Mississippi.

His mother finally relented and told him to “Be careful and bow to a white person and do it willingly.”

Emmett & Mom

Emmett and Mamie Till

Reverend Moses Wright

Moses, Emmett’s granduncle, was

excited to have him come for a visit. On

August 20, 1955, Emmett and his 17

year old cousin, Curtis, boarded a train bound

for Money, Mississippi.

Where the “crime” took place.

The store was owned by whites but serviced mostly black farmers and sharecroppers.

Bryant Grocery

Carolyn BryantWhen a group of black teenagers – Emmett included, arrived at the store, Emmett had been bragging about his experiences with girls in Chicago. Emmett then struck up a conversation with Carolyn Bryant.

What happened next?There have been many versions since the 50s. Some accounts say Emmett told Mrs. Bryant… “I’ve got something for you baby”. Others say he just uttered crude remarks. Carolyn testified at the trial that he said “What’s the matter baby, can’t you take it? You needn’t be afraid of me.”

His friends pulled Emmett away from the store but he whistled as he left and say “Bye baby”.

What happened next?The others were now truly afraid. Having grown up in Mississippi they knew what constituted unacceptable behavior in race relations.

A black youth making any type of sexual advances to a white woman was a blatant and dangerous violation of the unspoken code of the south. There could only be one punishment. - Death!

Tallahatchie River• What happened that night?

• It is said that several men went out to find ‘that boy’.

• Rev. Moses said, “He was put in a pickup truck and driven off into the night”

• “A young white boy who was fishing found the body hung up on a snag in the river three days later.”

• The body was weighted down with a 80 pound fan. It was shot, one eye was hanging out of it’s socket, the neck broken, teeth knocked out, and barbed wire wrapped around the neck.

Emmett’s FuneralThe coffin was

intentionally left open, a decision

made by Mamie Till who wanted the

world to see what they had done to

her son.

This is how the body looked after being beaten, shot, and left in a river.

Emmett’s Open Casket

CourtroomWithin two

hours the all white jury came

back with a verdict against

the men who were on trial –

“NOT GUILTY”

Fair Trial?

                            

                

J.W. Milam (left), Roy Bryant and their wives exult in the verdict

J.W. Milam (left) and Roy Bryant (right) and their wives celebrate the verdict of not

guilty!

Emmett’s Grave Marker

Mamie Till today

Today

• The case still is in the news.

• “The trial was a farce and nothing has been done since the 50’s”, says the FBI

• Today the story has been made into a movie – “The story of Emmett Louis Till”. It tells of evidence never given at the trial.