In 1955, 14-year-old Emmett Till traveled to Money, Mississippi, to visit relatives. He was kidnapped, tortured, and murdered after reportedly whistling at a white woman. His mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, insisted on an open-casket funeral near their hometown of Chicago. Her brave decision let the world see the racist violence inflicted upon her son and set the Civil Rights Movement into motion.
Map of the U.S. National Heritage Areas. Published by the National Park Service (NPS).
https://www.nps.gov/till/index.htm
In 1955, 14-year-old Emmett Till traveled to Money, Mississippi, to visit relatives. He was kidnapped, tortured, and murdered after reportedly whistling at a white woman. His mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, insisted on an open-casket funeral near their hometown of Chicago. Her brave decision let the world see the racist violence inflicted upon her son and set the Civil Rights Movement into motion.
Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument contains sites in Sumner and Glendora, Mississippi, and Chicago, Illinois.
Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley
Two African Americans sitting in a room and smiling toward the camera.
Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley, ca. 1954.
Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ
A multi-story tan brick church along a road. A tree stands in front.
Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ in Chicago.
Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ Interior
Rows of green seats in a large white room pointed toward a pulpit and a cross on a wall.
Present-day photo of the Inside of Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ.
Reverend Wheeler Parker Jr.
An elderly African American man looks at a plaque on the church exterior.
Reverend Wheeler Parker Jr., cousin and last living witness of Emmett Till’s kidnapping, viewing Chicago Landmark plaque on Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ.
Emmett Till Interpretive Center
A one story store-like front along a street containing two doors and several windows.
The Emmett Till Interpretive Center in Sumner, MS, an official nonprofit partner of Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument.
Emmett Till Interpretive Center Interior
Six chairs sit in a circle in a room that is lined with informational panels.
Interior of the Emmett Till Interpretive Center.
Emmett Till Interpretive Center 2
A table sits besides shelves featuring magazines and books in a white room.
Interior of the Emmett Till Interpretive Center.
Tallahatchie County Courthouse Courtroom
Rows of seats face a bench in an empty courtroom.
Present-day interior view of the Tallahatchie County Courthouse courtroom where the trial of the men accused of lynching Emmett Till took place took place.
Tallahatchie County Courthouse
Side view of a two-story brick courthouse with a clock tower. A statue stands in front.
The Tallahatchie County Courthouse in Sumner, MS.
Graball Landing
View of a muddy river from between two trees.
Graball Landing in Glendora, MS.
Graball Landing Road
A gravel road with a field on the left and woods on the right.
Road leading to Graball Landing in Glendora, MS.
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A light orange two story home containing many windows with green shutters.
A Tale of Two Mamies
How can we understand the differences in American life in the 1950s? America's promise of equality and opportunity was not free to all. In the case of two Mamies--Mamie Eisenhower and Mamie Till-Mobley--we see two vastly different experiences of the American dream in the mid-20th century.
A black and white image of a boy and his mother smiling
