"When people saw what had happened to my son, men stood up who had never stood up before." - Mamie Till Mobley

#OnThisDay in 1941, Emmett Till was born, and his legacy lives with us forever. At 14 years old, he was kidnapped, murdered, and lynched in Mississippi by two white men after an alleged interaction with a white woman.

“Two months ago l had a nice apartment in Chicago. I had a good job. I had a son. When something happened to the Negroes in the South I said, 'That's their business, not mine.' Now I know how wrong. I was.

The murder of my son has shown me that what happens to any of us, anywhere in the world, had better be the business of us all.” — Mamie Till-Mobley

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“Hace dos meses tenía un bonito apartamento en Chicago. Tenía un buen trabajo. Tenía un hijo. Cuando algo le sucedía a los negros en el sur, yo decía: “Ese es problema de ellos, no mío.” Y ahora me doy cuenta de lo equivocada que estaba.

▪︎In 1955, 14-year old #EmmettTill was abducted and murdered in by white supremacists;

▪︎In 1963 (60 years ago), Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his iconic "I Have A Dream" speech, which white supremacists often take out of context/misquote to "justify" their racism, bigotry and inhumanity;

▪︎In 1973 (50 years ago), Marvin Gaye released his Soul/RnB classic album "Let's Get It On"

Reposted from @nmaahc #OnThisDay 60 years ago, the #MarchonWashington for Jobs and Freedom brought nearly 250,000 people to the nation’s capital to protest #racialdiscrimination and show support for #civilrights legislation pending in Congress.

For its resolute battle towards #racialunity, #socialequity, and spiritual reckoning, The March on Washington, formed Black America’s greatest love note to the world. Precipitated by increased racial hostilities in the wake of desegregation legislation and the murder of 14-year-old Emmett Till, the March on Washington sought equal access to the rights and protections guaranteed under citizenship. Identifying the Black community’s commitment to remain “wed” to the nation by upholding its mores and values, the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom demanded the legitimacy of connubial ties through full citizenship. On the 60th anniversary of the March on Washington – its Diamond anniversary – the Museum examines the impassioned words of its organizers, supporters, and speakers, which made “love” the lyrical refrain and petition of their chorus for human rights.

Follow the link in our bio to immerse yourself in our museum’s resources, stories, collection items and video interviews surrounding the history of the March on Washington and the unique political and cultural impact it had on organizers, participants, and the nation. #MOW60

#OnThisDay in 1955, a murder took place in Money, Mississippi. 14-year-old Emmett Till was kidnapped in the middle of the night by two white men, Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam. They tortured, beat and shot the teenager, casting his body into the Tallahatchie River tied to a cotton gin fan.

For African Americans, the murder of Till was evidence of the decades-old codes of violence exacted upon Black men and women for breaking the rules of white supremacy in the Deep South. Particularly for Black men, who, like Till, found themselves under threat of attack or death for sexual advances towards white women – which often were fabricated claims. As recently as June of this year, an arrest warrant was uncovered in Mississippi for Carolyn Bryant Donham, the White woman whose false claim instigated Till’s attack. Till’s brutal murder, and his mother Mamie’s call to display his open casket to the world, reverberated a need for immediate change.

In an effort to provide a space for history, truth, reconciliation and healing, the museum acquired Emmett Till’s original casket. The powerful object not only helps tell the difficult history of racial violence and the Civil Rights movement, but it also gives pause to visitors and makes them reflect in the same way his mother encouraged the public to do so in 1955. #APeoplesJourney #ANationsStory

#NeverForget

#EmmettTill #MamieTillMobley

Today (July 25, 2023), on what would have been Emmett Till’s 82nd birthday, President Joe Biden signed a proclamation to establish the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument honoring Till and his mother, Mamie Till-Mobley. In 1955, Emmett was 14 when he was kidnapped, tortured and murdered because a white woman accused him of “inappropriately interacting" with her.

Reposted from @savingplaces Meet our nation’s newest national monument, the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument... which includes:

- Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ (Chicago, Illinois), founded in 1916. Following Mamie Till Mobley’s decision to “let the world see what I’ve seen,” an estimated 100,000 people filed past Emmett’s casket over three days in September 1955.

- Tallahatchie County Courthouse (Sumner, Mississippi), the site of the September 1955 trial of J.W. Milam and Roy Bryant for Emmett Till’s murder. The building was restored to its 1955 condition and the Emmett Till Interpretive Center opened across the street to provide interpretation.

- Graball Landing on the banks of the Tallahatchie River in Mississippi, the site where Emmett Till’s body was found.

This new national monument is an opportunity for the nation to remember the life and legacy of 14-year-old Emmett Till and his mother, Mamie Till Mobley, for catalyzing the American #CivilRightsMovement.

“Imbued in these now permanently protected buildings and landscapes are the unspeakable crimes of racial violence, and the tireless strength of Mamie Till Mobley who harnessed her grief in pursuit of #socialjustice. Through historic preservation, this multiracial coalition of partners will continue its work to uplift this new national monument and secure the resources and investment needed to ensure the site's future.”

- Brent Leggs, Executive Director, African American Cultural Heritage Action Fund

Swipe to learn about how the National Trust's Action Fund has supported sites related to this important history.

#TellTheFullStory #SavingPlaces #AACHAF @tillnationalpark @npcapics

Emmett Till would have turned 82 today.

In 1955, he was 14 when he was kidnapped and killed for “inappropriately interacting with a white woman” in Mississippi.