While we live in an era of “he said-she said,” one chapter of history exposes the tragic truth of “white said- black paid.”
With ongoing civil unrest in America in the 1950s, the states were divided into two– one spectrum that was gradually integrating the African-American minorities and the other spectrum that strictly debarred the minority as inferior. The segregation was so rampant that people (black) were living in fear of even raising their eyes.
In this darkness of division, one woman simply rejected a man’s request, nay demand to give up her seat on the bus in Montgomery, Alabama. Seems like not such a big deal, right? Let us reframe the sentence a little– one BLACK woman simply rejected a WHITE man’s request, nay demand to give up her seat on the bus. And that bus took a turn to be a monumental feat in History. The woman, Rosa Parks, was arrested for “disobeying,” but that catapulted a civil rights movement when 17000 black citizens boycotted the incident.
Even then, black people feared to support the movement because of the state-issued violence against anyone who disobeyed the laws.
But one day, the reason for the fear of authority changed to the fear of being lynched to death on false accusations. The ill-fated day became the resurrection of the civil rights movement. What happened
Emmett Till was lynched by a white woman’s husband and brother-in-law because she claimed that Till had made inappropriate gestures and passed remarks to her. The boy was 14 when he was brutally killed on August 28, 1955.
Let us walk through one of the darkest days in the history of racism–
Who Is Emmett Till?
Emmett Till was born on July 25, 1941, in the South side of Chicago, Illinois.
His parents, Mamie Till, and Louis Till, belong to the working class. The couple separated in 1942 owing to Louis’s infidelity and domestic violence. Mamie was initially living in the small Delta town of Webb, Mississippi. But due to growing racism, violence, limited career opportunities, and low wages, she moved to Chicago as one of the many during the Great Migration from South to North.
After her separation from Louis, Mamie decided to raise Emmett in Detroit. But the little boy grew fond of Chicago and preferred to stay with his grandmother in Chicago; Mamie joined them later after her separation from her second husband.
Little boy Till was a jovial, energetic, and literal ray of sunshine. He made friends easily, even when he stuttered due to contracting polio. While Mamie worked as a civilian clerk for the U.S. Air Force, Emmett would help with chores at home and always stood by his mother.
His mother described him as a free-spirited boy who like to joke around with people and make them laugh. But somewhere in her heart, she knew that her boy did not belong to this world.
She would often tell Emmett to have restraint in his mannerisms around certain folks. But Emmett only saw good in people, and people in Chicago lived up to that expectation of being generally cordial to all minorities.
Now one question for you– how do you tell a child that the world is made of borders? If one side is giving, the other side of the border is not forgiving.
What Did Emmett Till Do?
Disclaimer: A child does not harm anyone intentionally. A child is not mature enough to know what segregation is. A child is not responsible for anyone who takes offense; the adults should resolve the issue. A child should not be punished; they are supposed to be taught. It takes a village to raise a child, not a bunch of racists, to lynch him to death.
Now to answer the question, “what Emmett Till do?” He did nothing wrong. He is a child.
Somewhere in mid-August, Emmett decided to spend the summer with his cousins in rural Mississipi. Mamie calmly told him the South is not as friendly to people of color. And advised him to keep low around the white folks. But Emmett’s innocence was too pure to heed his mom’s concerns.
On August 24, 1955, Emmett was simply having fun around the town with his cousins and friends. In his usual jaunty mood, Emmett told the group that he had a white girlfriend back home. The other kids scoffed, laughed, and then one kid dared Emmett to go to the candy store and ask the white woman behind the counter for a date.
Note: There was no one in the store at that time.
He bought some candy and was heard saying “Bye, baby” to the woman on his way out.
But the white lady, Carolyn Bryant, had a different account. She claimed that the 14-year-old boy (mind you, he is a child) grabbed her, insulted her with lewd advances, and “wolf-whistled” at her.
And this is what Emmett Till, the 14-year-old child, allegedly did to a grown woman (please read the sarcasm).
How Was Emmett Till Lynched?
Emmett was staying at his great uncle, Mose Wright’s place with his cousins.
August 28, 1955:
Emmett and his cousin were having fun during their sleepover and fell asleep together. As the peaceful night was nearing dawn, a loud thud woke up the family. Two men stormed into Wright’s house and approached the children’s room. And just like that, they grabbed little Emmett and abducted him. His two cousins, Wheeler Parker, and Simeon Wright, were the only witnesses of his kidnapping.
[Trigger warning: Mention of graphic details of the murder.]
- The two men made Emmett carry a 75-pound cotton gin fan to the Tallahatchie River.
- They ordered him to strip off his clothes.
- They then proceeded to beat the little boy almost to death.
- They gouged out his eye.
- Brutally shot him in the head.
- Tied his body to the cotton gin fan with barbed wire and threw him into the river.
Who Were The Two Men Who Lynched Emmett Till?
The two men were identified as–
Roy Bryant: the store proprietor where Carolyn Bryant was a cashier.
J.W. Milam: Bryant’s half-brother, Carolyn’s brother-in-law
After returning from their business trip, Carolyn told the brothers what “happened” to her. With rage of revenge, they brutally lynched a black child.
Emmett Till: The Boy Who Turned The Course Of History
After the news broke out in the papers, black youth all over the country erupted in anger over the killings of an innocent child over allegations. This brought in a second wave of the civil rights movement when people came down to the streets to demand the right to life and justice for Emmett.
Mamie fought with all her might to get her son the deserved justice for his soul to rest in peace. She even arranged an open casket so that her son became a symbol of violence against black people.
Two weeks after Emmett’s last rites, the two men were ordered to a court trial in a separate courthouse in Sumner, Mississippi. Mose Wright and a few other witnesses correctly identified the two killers.
September 23, 1955:
The jury was ALL-WHITE.
After less than an hour, they issued a verdict of “Not Guilty.”
Reason: They believed the state couldn’t successfully prove that the body’s identity was Emmett Till. The state decided not to indict Milan and Bryant on the charges of kidnapping a minor.
Reaction: the nation was outraged, regardless of race.
2017: The Blood Of Emmett Till
This book by Tim Tyson revealed that Carolyn Bryant renounced her testimony. She admitted that she was never touched, harassed, or threatened by the child. She said–
“Nothing that boy did could ever justify what happened to him.”
2022: Grand jury in Mississippi declined the request to indict Acrlyn Bryant for her role in the crime 70 years earlier.
March 2022: President Joe Biden signed the Emmett Till Antilynching Act into law. Lynching would be considered a federal hate crime henceforth.
2023: Bryant passed away with no consequences for her cruel intentions.
People remember the vibrant boy on his birthday to remind us that racism is still prevalent. And the victims of false allegations face worse consequences than the perpetrators.
EMMETT TILL. Remember the name. What are your thoughts on this history? Do you think Mississippi grand jury should have reconsidered its decision?
Let us know in the comments section below.
