“Let the people see what they did to my boy”
Events
“Let the People See What They Did to My Boy”: Commemorating Emmett Till for Future Generations
DateJuly 27, 2021
Elizabeth Catlett, “The Torture of Mothers, 1970/2003.” © 2021 Catlett Mora Family Trust / Licensed by VAGA at Artists Rights Society (ARS), NY.
In August 1955, a 14-year-old Black boy named Emmett Till was kidnapped, tortured, and murdered by white men in Mississippi. Till’s lynching became a catalyst for the civil rights movement, but his story is not always taught as central to our collective history. How can we best commemorate Till (who would have turned 80 in July 2021) and his mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, to ensure that future generations understand and remember the significance of their stories?
Speakers and guests at this event included:
- Dr. Elizabeth Alexander, president, Mellon Foundation
- Crystal N. Feimster, associate professor, Yale University
- Kevin Young, director, National Museum of African American History and Culture
This event was originally livestreamed on July 27, 2021