What's your opinion on this article?
After reportedly whistling at a White woman, he was kidnapped from his uncle’s home in the middle of the night on August 28, 1955. Three days later, his disfigured body was pulled from the Tallahatchie River. There was a bullet hole in his head and a heavy cotton gin fan was wrapped around his neck with barbed wire.
His open casket funeral at the insistence of his courageous mother Mamie Till-Mobley provided the opportunity for many to see the dreadful brutality Blacks in the South faced each and every day. Racist Whites allowed to maim and kill without fear of punishment or retaliation. Images of his badly mutilated body left an indelible mark on the minds of those who saw them, and still act as an emotional trigger until this very day.
This year marked 60 years since he was tortured and lynched near Money, Mississippi, but members of his family made sure his life and the sacrifice of his mother would not be forgotten. Under the theme “Remembering the Past While Educating the Future,” the Mamie Till-Mobley Memorial Foundation sponsored a weekend of events bringing together civil rights era legends, social justice activists, entertainers, philanthropists, and families victimized by racially motivated violence Ms. Mobley died in 2003 at the age of 81.
On Aug. 28—the same day he was murdered in 1955—the family held a ceremony at Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ, the location where Emmett Till’s funeral was held. There was also a processional, which included motorcycle clubs, to the Burr Oak Cemetery and his gravesite.
Present was Judge Greg Mathis and Cannon D. Lambert, attorney for the family of Sandra Bland, the Black woman from Naperville, Ill., arrested in Texas and found dead hanging in a rural Texas jail cell. Hip hop activists Jasiri X of 1Hood and Mysonne of the Justice League NYC represented a new generation of artists infusing sociopolitical commentary into their lyrics. Also participating in discussions and offering tributes were Black Lives Matters activists Johnetta Elzie and Erika Totten.
Several parents bound by tragedy spoke at the dinner. At times, not only could they be seen wiping away tears, but some members of the audience were also overcome with emotion. They heard parents share the painful struggle of living life without their children, knowing their lives had been cut short.
Trayvon Martin’s mother said there is pain in her heart each day she thinks about her son Trayvon. Despite the pain, she feels compelled to fight for justice.
“I thank God for Mamie Till-Mobley,” said Ms. Fulton. “I too am a mother of a deceased teenager and although I have my good days and my bad days, I carry that pain with me each and every day,” she added.
“I have to continue to fight because people don’t quite understand how serious this movement is and how serious this thing is. One day you could be in your comfortable home with your perfect children and your nice house and your nice car and your nice job and then the next day, your child can be taken away…we’ve got to get serious with this thing!” said Ms. Fulton. “Trayvon is not here to speak for himself therefore, just like Emmett Till’s mother, I’m going to speak for my child! I’m going to speak for my son!”
Kadiatou Diallo told the audience that she learned about Emmett Till in Africa and the strength of Mamie Till-Mobley strengthened people all over the world.
“Many families are here tonight,” Ms. Diallo continued, “we are all connected in one voice to say that we will never rest until we combat injustices everywhere.”
Ron Davis, the father or Jordan Davis spoke about the man—Michael Dunn—who fired 10 bullets into the car with Jordan Davis and his friends. According to Mr. Davis, Mr. Dunn was so cold-blooded and callous, after the shooting, he went to a hotel, ordered pizza, had an alcoholic drink, and walked his dog as if nothing happened.
“Jordan Davis, forever 17, was the future of our family,” said Mr. Davis. “The young man was in a car with his buddies at a gas station in Jacksonville, Fla., playing his music loud, hip hop, rap music and this, this White supremacist—call it what it is—decided it was thug music. The new ‘n’ word is thug,” he said.
“At the end of the trial, this man—when they showed another picture of my son—he couldn’t even identify Jordan Davis. He doesn’t even know who he pumped three bullets into and didn’t want to call Jordan Davis a victim,” said Mr. Davis.
“I’m tired of talking, I’m tired of crying, but I’m not tired of fighting,” said Ms. Reed-Veal. “I have been holding it in for a while. You all don’t see the tears at home, but I have the best attorney in the world and he has taken my family and literally walked us through this thing. The wounds are still wide open,” she added.
She described the pain of driving up on a street corner and seeing a vendor hawking a shirt with her daughter’s image on it and told those claiming to want justice for Sandra Bland to be serious about it.
“I say to all of you, to those of you who stand and say ‘I’m Sandra Bland,’ don’t say it if you are not going to do anything,” she said.
The Honorable Minister Louis Farrakhan was scheduled to be the keynote speaker for the dinner, however, he had been suffering from an illness and Dr. Ava Muhammad, the national spokesperson for Min. Farrakhan and the Nation of Islam spoke in his place.
Through Dr. Muhammad, Minister Farrakhan said:
In comments lasting about 45 minutes, Dr. Muhammad showed the “depraved indifference” White people have shown towards Blacks has reached a point where Whites have to be clearly identified as an “open enemy” in order for Blacks to work on the many issues keeping them divided.
“We have to stop the violence yes, but before we can even work together as a family, we’ve got to deal with a natural enemy that is attacking us every day,” said Dr. Muhammad. “We must never just lie down and surrender the gift of life from God unless we are giving our lives to serve God. We have no life beloved, to throw our lives away and we have no right to allow anyone to take our lives away except the one who gave it to us,” she added.
She said fear of Muslims and anti-Islamic sentiment in America is growing because the Holy Qur’an, the book of Islamic scripture teaches that if attacked, one is to “fight with those who fight with you.”
The most logical solution when people cannot get along in peace is to separate, however, many people have a misunderstanding regarding those calling for it, she said.
“Separation from your tormentor is not hate. This is about freedom, justice, and equality,” said Dr. Muhammad.
Seminars, film screenings, and performances to educate, engage, and empower youth were held Aug. 29 at the Reva and David Logan Center for the Arts on the University of Chicago’s campus. Leading social justice activist and #JusticeOrElse co-convener Tamika D. Mallory moderated a panel discussion titled “60 Years After Till … Justice Or Else!”