August 28, 1955

On this day in history in 1955 Emmett Till was murdered.

Visiting Family

14-year-old Emmett Till

Emmett Till was a 14-year-old African American from Chicago. He grew up in a working-class neighborhood on the city's south side. He went to a segregated elementary school but it was nothing compared to the segregation he would encounter when visiting his family down south in Money, Mississippi. His mother tried to prepare him for the difficulties he might encounter because of his race and warned him to be careful. Emmett, however, didn't take her advice to heart as a lighthearted boy who enjoyed pulling pranks.

While down in Mississippi visiting his cousins Emmett went into a local store to buy some candy. As he left he told the woman at the counter, "Bye, baby." There were no witnesses in the store and she later claimed he grabbed her and made advances on her while wolf-whistling as he exited the shop.

Emmett's Murder

Emmett's mother at his funeral

A few days after buying his candy the shop owner, who was also the clerk's husband, returned home from a business trip and heard how Emmett allegedly spoke to his wife. He and his half-brother went to Emmett's great uncle's house demanding to speak to the boy. Despite his uncle pleading to leave his nephew alone the pair forced him into their car and drove off. Three days later Emmett Till's body was found. It was so disfigured his uncle could only identify him through a ring he wore. His mother, upon seeing her mutilated son, had an open-casket funeral so everyone could see what had happened to her son. Photographs of the casket were taken and the mainstream media picked up the story.

The Aftermath

Two weeks after his murder the shop owner and his brother were put on trial for Emmett's murder in a segregated courthouse. Less than a month later, and less than an hour after starting deliberation, the all-white jury found them "not guilty." The jury claimed the state failed to prove the identity of the body. The country was outraged, especially since they were also not indicted for kidnapping Emmett.

In 2017, Tim Tyson, the author of the book The Blood of Emmett Till revealed the cashier from the candy shop recanted her testimony. Till had never touched, threatened, or harassed her. In 2022 a grand jury declined to indict her for her role in the murder. She died earlier this year in 2023.