Everyone recognizes the names of Rosa Parks and Martin Luther King. They are always associated with the start of the Civil Rights Movement. Their sparks ignited a revolution.
But before their names were known, there were thousands of others, most of whom will remain anonymous to the history writers. One of those names is Emmett Till.
Emmett Louis Till was an African American teenager who was murdered in Mississippi at the age of 14. His mother had sent him south to keep him safe and off the streets of Chicago while she worked and he was on summer vacation. She had 'the talk' with him before she left. She explained that the racism of the Deep South was quite different from the racism of the North. She thought he understood.
Visiting relatives in Money, a small town in the Mississippi Delta region he had an encounter with a married white woman named Carolyn Bryant. She claimed he was 'fresh', used foul language and accosted her. Those accusations would cost him his life.
On August 28, 1955 two white men related to Mrs. Bryant (her husband and brother in law) would find Emmett, kill him and
They were charged, found NOT GUILTY by an all white male jury and would later boast of their guilt.
The murder was sensational but it was his mother's response that garnered national attention: she put his mutilated body on display. Her determination to find justice, to expose the crime and not let it be forgotten remained with civil rights workers for a decade.
His name is memorialized outside the Southern Poverty Law Center's HQ. Bob Dylan wrote a ballad THE BALLAD OF EMMETT TILL which recounts his murder and trial. A movie was made of the story. Recently, the woman who accused the teenager, recanted her statement.