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Birth
Emmett Louis Till was born on July 25th, 1941 in Chicago, Illinois. He was the only child of parents Louie and Mammie Till. Mammie basically raised Emmett alone when her and his father got a divorce in 1943. Louis was executed shortly after for willful misconduct while serving in the military in World War II in Italy (1945). -
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Education
Till, or also known as Bobo by his closest friends, attended school at McCosh Grammar school until he was the age of 15. Because of his death and having to take on more responsibility, his education did not exceed this sadly. -
Body Found
They found his body three days later
tied to a large metal fan with barbed wire in the Tallahatchie River. People were only able to recognize the body by the ingraved ring that his mother gave him. -
Death
Emmett was visiting relatives in Money, Mississippi when he was myrdered. Supposedly he had made advances toward white woman Carolyn Bryant. Upon finding out this information, her husband and brother-in-law (Roy and JW Milam) went and kidnapped the young boy from his uncle's house and kidnapped him. They beat him until he was unrecognizable and was shot in the head. -
Trial
The two men were taken to trial for his murder, but acquitted by an all while male jury. This caused an uproar within the community and caused a push for the Civil Rights Movement. -
Funeral
Emmett's mother decided to have an open casket funeral to show the world what they had done to her son. She was appalled by what they did to him and wanted to show the world that he wasn't receiving justice. -
Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crimes Reauthorization Act
President Obama signed the act to help reopen unsolved Civil Rights crimes before the year 1980. This could take cases back to trial for individuals of these families to receive closure and get justice. -
Controversial Painting
The painting of Emmett Till's open casket funeral was taken down at the Whitney Biennial exhibit. The painting done by Dana Schutz was taken down but then put back on display outraging the public. -
Legacy
The case of Emmett Till now inspires people of all generations to fight for justice. His role was at a costly price, but with the help of his bill people can now receive justice and closure for families who have lost loved ones. -
Carolyn Bryant Admits The Truth
In a 2007 interview found in the book "The Blood of Emmett Till", Carolyn Bryant admitted that all of the claims against the young boy were false. She admitted she lied and caused his death. She didn't believe she claimed that her husband would go and kill the boy. Carolyn's location is not known by anyone but her family.
