Emmett Till - Civil Rights Movement History Documentary
This was a video on the death of 14 year old, Emmett Till who was murdered by white racists in Mississippi in 1955. This murder was taken to trial and made national headlines launching the civil rights movement.
By: Nicolette D'Antuono
There was no impact on Till’s death at first. The deaths of blacks did not hit the news because it was a non-issue at the time but the death of Emmett Till became a mass movement. Till being brutally murdered by four white men, his mother insisted to have an open casket funeral to show everyone. His family thought maybe this would change the nation. Sixty-thousand people attended the funeral and they protested in the streets after. These people were heroes. “Till’s face shows the ugliest of racism.”
Above is a picture of Emmett Till in his open casket. This horrific lynching came a year after the 1954 Supreme Court ruling in Brown v. Board of Education, which ruled that segregation was a violation to the 14th Amendment and the equal protection of African Americans under the law. Mamie Bradley, Till's mother, wanted to include the public, letting the world see for themselves what was done to her son. The Emmett Till murder and trial, is the first and arguably one of the most important major media events of what is known as the modern Civil Rights Movement. His unfortunate death is what ultimately inspired many black children close to his age to fight against the discrimination they were facing throughout their generation. Some call the Till murder a catalyst, which would spark various other incidents and outlashes by young activists in the 1960's.
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