July 25, Emmett Till’s birthday, is now officially Emmett Till Day in Illinois. Honoring the Chicago Boy Whose and His Mother Mamie Till-Mobley’s Courage Helped Awaken America to the Brutality of Racism
Born in Chicago on July 25, 1941, Emmett was only 14 when he was abducted and brutally murdered by white men in Mississippi on August 28, 1955. His mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, made the extraordinary decision to hold a public, open-casket funeral, refusing to allow America to look away from what racist violence had done to her child.
More than 50,000 people came to view Emmett’s body in Chicago, while photographs published in the Black press, including Jet magazine, carried the reality of his murder across the country. His killing and the acquittal of the men accused of murdering him became major catalysts for the emerging Civil Rights Movement.
Illinois has now designated July 25 of every year as a day to honor and remember Emmett Till.
Today would have been his 85th birthday. Remember the history. Remember Mamie’s courage. Say his name: Emmett Louis Till.