Minneapolis, MN [April 25, 2020]:
This year marks the 65th anniversary of the horrific torture and killing of Emmett Till, who was barely in his teens. The Emmett Till Legacy Foundation (ETLF) announced the launch of an awareness campaign to pursue Justice for Till and other victims of racially motivated crimes during the turbulent and deadly civil rights era.
"I wake up every day ready to fight for justice for Emmett and honor his mother, Mamie Till Mobley, for the courage and strength she displayed during such a tragic and painful time,” says Deborah Watts, a cousin of Emmett’s who is co-founder and executive director of the ETLF.
“It is heartbreaking that justice has taken this long and that people who are culpable have been able to live their lives fully without coming forward or being held accountable,” says Watts. “But we are determined not to give up—we want to see the law work as it should, as well as close loopholes and create stronger new laws that empower the families who are left to pick the pieces of their lives and continue to pursue justice for their loved ones .”
The Emmett Till Legacy Foundation (ETLF), a nonprofit organization established in 2005, is committed to preserving the memory of Emmett Louis Till and honoring his mother Mamie Till Mobley’s long fight for justice.
Emmett Till, an African American 14-year-old, was kidnapped, viciously beaten, lynched and murdered in Mississippi in 1955 after Carolyn Bryant (now Donham), a white woman, accused him of whistling and making lewd sexual advances. When Till’s mother made the decision to hold an open-casket funeral, it displayed the brutality of racism to the world, galvanizing the civil rights movement. Till’s death, as well as the acquittal of two white men accused of his murder, was and continues to embody injustice.
“The Till family has had to endure what none should, experiencing lifelong trauma and pain, and decades spent fighting for justice,” says Bennie Thompson of Mississippi. “I have supported the family and their demand for justice throughout my career. Just last summer I was a sponsor of the Emmett Till Antilynching Act that passed the House. In this, what will be the 65th anniversary of Till’s death, the need to educate communities about the violence hate creates remains as important as ever.”
In 2018 the FBI reopened the cold case of Till’s murder, yet justice remains elusive. Deborah has now initiated the #JusticeForEmmettTill campaign to achieve a threefold mission:
● Mark the anniversary of Emmett Till’s death by elevating awareness of this tragedy and other racially motivated crimes, from the civil rights era to the present day.
● Accelerate action in the reopened case with the goal of finally achieving justice for Till, before it is too late.
● Advocate for creation and passage of the Emmett Louis Till Victims of Racially Motivated Murders Act (VRMMA)—new legislation related to the Till case and other
cold cases.
● Advocating for bipartisan support for new State of Minnesota legislation called the Emmett Louis Till Victims Recovery program.
The two men originally prosecuted for Till’s murder have died, found not guilty by an all white jury. There may be others who were involved, accomplices. ETLF and other social justice organizations want appropriate charges to be brought against surviving accomplices who might be found guilty. In addition, Watts believes that Carolyn Bryant Donham holds the key to understanding what really happened that led to and occurred on the evening of Till’s murder and should be further investigated. Watts and her group are also considering pursuing other remedies.
Emmett Louis Till Victims of Racially Motivated Civil Rights Era Murders and Violence Act (VRMMA).
ETLF is advocating for legislation designed to empower families of victims through steps that include:
● A survivors’ fund to provide trauma informed services;
● Access to financial resources for families to hire independent legal and investigative support to pursue justice;
● A seat at the table when memorials or lasting legacies are being designed and built; and
● An apology from local, state, national government representatives.
Watts and other family members originally founded the Emmett Till Legacy Foundation to honor Mamie Till Mobley, who passed away after 47 years of activism without seeing justice achieved in her son’s case. Now, with the #JusticeForEmmettTill campaign, they are poised to “turn tragedy into triumph,” according to Watts.
She concludes, “The wounds are very deep, and negatively impact families for generations. Yet our family has been blessed with supporters and activists across the world. We are energized to continue the good fight—to strive for truth, justice and equality —so that today’s youth never suffer the violence and inhumanity that ended Emmett’s young life.”
