Emmett Louis Till

 

The Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act 

The Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act (often shortened to “Emmett Till Act” or “Till Act”) is a landmark piece of legislation that addresses long-standing injustices in the United States

. Its primary purpose is to authorize the investigation and prosecution of cold cases related to civil rights violations, especially those involving racially-motivated murders. 

Here are the key details of the Act:

Focus on civil rights violations resulting in death

  • The Act empowers the Department of Justice (DOJ) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to specifically investigate violations of criminal civil rights statutes where the violation resulted in death. 

Timeframe of investigation

Establishment of specialized units

  • The Act mandates the creation of specialized sections within the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division and the FBI to coordinate these cold case investigations. 

Resources and funding

  • The Till Act authorizes substantial funding to support these investigations and prosecutions.

  • It allows the Attorney General to award grants to state and local law enforcement agencies to assist their efforts in investigating and prosecuting these types of cases. 

Collaboration and transparency

  • The Act encourages strong collaboration between the DOJ, the FBI, and state/local law enforcement agencies, as well as with civil rights organizations, universities, and other entities that have been involved in similar investigative work.

  • It also promotes greater transparency by requiring the DOJ to provide regular reports to Congress on the progress of investigations and authorizing expedited Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests related to these cases, according to Congress.gov. 

Reopening and review of cases

  • The Act allows the DOJ to reopen and review cases that were previously closed without a thorough in-person investigation by the DOJ or the FBI. 

Named in honor of Emmett Till

  • The legislation is named after Emmett Till, whose brutal murder in 1955 and the subsequent acquittal of his killers highlighted the injustices of the legal system during the Jim Crow era and helped spark the Civil Rights Movement. 

Overall purpose

  • The Emmett Till Act aims to provide a sustained, well-coordinated, and well-funded effort to bring justice and closure for the victims and their families in these racially-motivated cold cases, says Congress.gov. It acknowledges the difficulty in prosecuting these cases decades later due to factors like the age of witnesses and suspects, the loss of evidence, and legal protections like double jeopardy and ex post facto laws. However, it represents a continued commitment to rectifying historical injustices and pursuing accountability for these heinous crimes.

Legacy

  • Emmett Till’s murder and the subsequent injustice became a catalyst for the Civil Rights Movement.

  • Rosa Parks cited his murder as a reason for her refusal to give up her seat on a bus in Montgomery, Alabama.

  • His mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, became a lifelong activist and educator, advocating against racial violence and for civil rights.

  • The Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act was signed into law in 2008, allowing investigations into cold cases of civil rights-era murders.

  • The Emmett Till Antilynching Act, making lynching a federal hate crime, was passed in 2022.

  • In 2023, the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument was established in Illinois and Mississippi, preserving sites related to Emmett and his mother’s legacy.

  • Emmett’s legacy continues to resonate today, with his story serving as a powerful reminder of racial injustice and the ongoing fight for equality.

Credits:

Section of Jet magazine’s September 15, 1955 edition. Online, via Google Books and Jet magazine. Copyright, Jet magazine, all rights reserved. Provided here as fair use for educational purposes.

See Alignments to State and Common Core standards for this story online at:

http://www.awesomestories.com/asset/AcademicAlignment/Jet-Magazine-Story-about-Emmett-Till

See Learning Tasks for this story online at:

http://www.awesomestories.com/asset/AcademicActivities/Jet-Magazine-Story-about-Emmett-Till

 

 

 

 

ARTICLES 

 

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THE MURDER OF EMMETT TILL | ARTICLE

The Legacy of the Lynching of Emmett Till

Dispelling myths to learn how the Black response to racist murder transformed America

August 29, 2020, |   Timothy B. Tyson

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/legacy-lynching-emmett-till/

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THE MURDER OF EMMETT TILL | ARTICLE

Mamie Till Mobley

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/emmett-biography-mamie-till-mobley/

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THE MURDER OF EMMETT TILL | ARTICLE

Killers’ Confession

Open the pages of the January 1956 Look magazine to read the killers’ confession.

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/till-killers-confession/

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THE MURDER OF EMMETT TILL | ARTICLE

The Trial of J.W. Milam and Roy Bryant

When the murder trial of Roy Bryant and his half-brother J.W. Milam opened in Sumner, Mississippi, on a steamy September morning in 1955, few realized the town would be forever linked to the brutal slaying of Emmett Till, a 14-year-old African American boy from Chicago.

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/emmett-trial-jw-milam-and-roy-bryant/

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THE MURDER OF EMMETT TILL | ARTICLE

Getting Away with Murder

Roy and Carolyn Bryant and J. W. Milam will always be linked to the 1955 murder of Emmett Till. In the minds of many, they live in history as the trio that got away with murder.

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/emmett-biography-roy-carolyn-bryant-and-jw-milam/

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THE MURDER OF EMMETT TILL | ARTICLE

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/emmett-biography-sheriff-clarence-strider/ 

 

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/emmett-tills-open-casket-funeral-reignited-the-civil-rights-movement-180956483/

https://www.distractify.com/p/what-happened-to-carolyn-bryant

https://www.wisconsinhistory.org/Records/Image/IM67254

https://www.cbsnews.com/amp/news/emmett-till-accuser-carolyn-bryant-donham-arrest-warrant-found-1955-kidnapping/#app 

https://www.clarionledger.com/story/news/2018/09/13/what-happened-key-figures-emmett-till-case/1275626002/  

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/eleanor-race/

https://chicago.suntimes.com/2021/9/9/22661228/emmett-till-burial-burr-oak-cemetery

https://www.chicago.gov/content/dam/city/depts/zlup/Historic_Preservation/Publications/Emmett_Till_and_Mamie_Till-Mobley_House_report.pdf

https://alexusrenee.com/remembering-a-long-list-of-black-people-murdered-by-white-police-white-civilians-blacklivesmatter/ 

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/history/article/history-of-lynching-violent-deaths-reflect-brutal-american-legacy 

https://www.msdeltaheritage.com/blog/2017/5/10/a-special-visit-to-the-national-museum-of-african-american-history-and-culture-and-i-cried-

https://wgntv.com/news/chicago-news/plaque-unveiled-at-emmett-tills-home-as-group-works-to-repair-restore-it/

https://wgntv.com/news/house-makes-lynching-a-federal-crime-65-years-after-murder-of-emmett-till/?ipid=promo-link-block2

https://www.pressreader.com/usa/chicago-sun-times/20200827/281500753634800

https://thegrio.com/2022/07/08/emmett-till-supporters-searching-for-his-accuser/?fbclid=IwAR04IZ9-q5_aGt4QYJiZ4bRylo0wNUc38-iB6eJE9xe4t5QFJ-u_fWZgEK8 

https://www.ranker.com/list/emmett-till-civil-rights-movement/genevieve-carlton?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=historypost&pgid=642850749204637&utm_campaign=emmett-till-civil-rights-movement&fbclid=IwAR3vqvkb8O88AtQUNb8PESaG823ShtX5MuYMkPJIf9ns1-RrqxHaJllMjKU

https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/27/books/review/blood-of-emmett-till-timothy-b-tyson.html

https://playbill.com/article/emmett-till-a-new-american-opera-to-premiere-at-john-jay-college

https://www.washingtonpost.com/music/2022/03/22/emmett-till-opera-protest/

https://www.npr.org/sections/deceptivecadence/2022/03/23/1088169711/a-new-opera-about-emmett-till-is-criticized-for-being-written-by-a-white-woman

https://www.indianagazette.com/opinion/blow-shed-no-tears-for-carolyn-bryant-donham/article_9fc9e847-cd6a-5499-8299-5a2f8b0bb302.html

https://www.salon.com/2022/03/12/emmett-tills-family-petitioning-for-charge/ 

https://www.bet.com/article/r43pj6/emmett-till-accuser-carolyn-bryant-donham-seen-first-time-20-years?cid=BET__FBPAGE___7350804915&linkId=175733907&fbclid=IwAR0FCou5tt_y0a_v59CkdfdQQSdzk5gFikIGqt_JZPUSZ5sBEkkNxJ4TM2c

https://en.12up.com/view/?id=rod-serling-facts-12u&src=facebook&utm_source=facebook&utm_campaign=12u_a_us_sofia_12up23_101780_rod-serling-facts_all_conv-tv40_conv_dynamic_both_18p_i-0_cost-0.5_2ndheadline&utm_medium=23850693948860146&fbclid=IwAR3do6YgQU7pjEVFangN4svDJ25XOptRP–WXiNdewNrXPZCI2GnQQx1wtc&page=52

https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/interactive/unresolved/cases/emmett-till

https://abcnews.go.com/amp/US/mississippi-city-greenwood-unveil-emmett-till-memorial-statue/story?id=91859237&fbclid=IwAR2EFWK7MiXZoD1-uyXYZ2GtwGCEKjy_JyjuenrsLKp6m5e4XV8mVn-xqeo

https://www.npr.org/2023/03/12/1162677900/emmett-till-wheeler-parker?utm_medium=social&utm_source=facebook.com&utm_campaign=npr&utm_term=nprnews&fbclid=IwAR1mNj5bUCYvqlGZ0idzrzgni7g-HnxTroYGk-4BSOOfkPew_yM1P5KDhEE

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/04/27/us/carolyn-bryant-donham-dead.html 

https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2021/09/barn-emmett-till-murder/619493/ 

https://www.theatlantic.com/culture/archive/2023/12/shonda-rhimes-emmett-till-barn-memorial/676887/

https://www.nytimes.com/article/who-was-emmett-till.html#:~:text=Emmett%20Till%20was%2014%20in,were%20published%20in%20Jet%20magazine.

https://www.nps.gov/people/emmett-till.htm#:~:text=Emmett%20Till%20and%20Mamie%20Till,began%20walking%20at%2011%20months.

PHOTOGRAPHY Credits

ALAMY.com

ASSOCIATED PRESS (AP)

© Bettmann/Corbis

BIOGRAPHY.COM

Chicago Defender

Corbis via Getty Images

Dave Mann/Chicago Sun-Times/Courtesy of NMAAHC

Ebony Magazine

Getty Images

Jet Magazine

New York Times -nytimes.org

PBS.org

Pinterest.com

Ed Clark; Life Pictures/Shutterstock

Shutterstock

Smithsonian Magazine

University of Memphis Digital Commons

Wikimedia Commons

The “Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley: Let the World See” exhibition is at the DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center 

The DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center

The “Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley: Let the World See” exhibition –

DuSable Black History Museum and Education Center 

@ ALL RIGHTS RESERVED – Iforcolor.org/Dale Shields

NO COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT INTENDED 

 

Pages:

iforcolor

ARCHIVIST, EDUCATOR, HISTORIAN, and ARTiST
Dale Ricardo Shields is highly accomplished African American actor, director, producer, and educator with a distinguished career in theatre and academia.

Here's a summary of his background and achievements:

Early Life and Family:
Born on November 4, 1952, in Cleveland, Ohio.
His family has a strong musical background; his grandfather and father were founding members of the Shields Brothers Gospel Quartet of Ohio, and his mother was part of the Turner Gospel Singers.
He is a cousin of boxing promoter Don King.
Education:
Graduated from John F. Kennedy High School in 1970.
Holds both a BFA (1975) and MFA (1995) from Ohio University.

Career and Contributions
Theatre Professional:
Actor: Has appeared on Broadway, Off-Broadway, Off-Off-Broadway, and in regional productions. His television credits include The Cosby Show, Another World, Guiding Light, Saturday Night Live, and the ITV series Special Needs. He has also appeared in commercials and films.
Director and Stage Manager: Has extensive professional credits in these roles, including projects at Lincoln Center, The Henry Street Settlement House (New Federal Theatre), The Negro Ensemble Company, and The Joseph Papp Public Theatre.
Assistant Director: Served as assistant to Lloyd Richards and assistant director for the New Federal Theatre premiere of Ossie Davis's play A Last Dance With Sybil starring Ruby Dee and Earl Hyman.

Educator:
Professor: He is a Professor of Acting, Directing, Black Theatre, Black Studies, and Stage Management. He has taught at various institutions, including Ohio University, The College of Wooster, Denison University, Macalester College, Susquehanna University (as artist-in-residence), and SUNY Potsdam.
Workshops and Programs: Conducted workshops for Joseph Papp's Playwriting in the Schools Program (PITS) at The Public Theatre for six seasons and represented the United States at the ASSITEJ Theatre Festival in London, England, in 1988.
Artistic Activist and Historian:

Iforcolor.org: Creator and archivist for the Black History website Iforcolor.org, dedicated to preserving and sharing information about African Americans and artists of color. He also maintains the "Black Theatre/African American Voices" website on Facebook.
Project1VOICE Liaison: Serves as the Project1VOICE Liaison for the state of Ohio, directing "One Play One Day" events in Cleveland since 2011.

Awards and Recognition:
The Kennedy Center/Stephen Sondheim Inspirational Teacher Award: Recipient in 2017.
Paul Robeson Award: Recipient in 2021 (jointly presented by the Actors' Equity Association and Actors' Equity Foundation).
AUDELCO/"VIV" Special Achievement Award: Received in 2017.
Tony Award Nominee: Nominated for the "Excellence in Theatre Education Award" in 2015 and 2017.
Ebony Bobcat Network (EBN) Legend Award: Received from Ohio University in 2022.
ENCORE AWARD / The Actors Fund: Received in 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2024.
Outstanding Professor Awards: Has received two of these and three "Educational Program of the Year" awards as a university professor.
The HistoryMakers archives: Interviewed and included in The HistoryMakers archives, permanently housed in the Library of Congress.
Dale Ricardo Shields is recognized for his profound impact on the lives of his students and his unwavering dedication to preserving and promoting Black theatre history and culture.