Emmett Till, mother to be honored with Congressional Gold Medal
- Mona King Austin
- Jan 14, 2022
- 3 min read
Emmett Till and his mother will both be recognized posthumulously with the Congressional Medal, the highest civilian honor Congress can grant, after his cold case was finally sealed in December of 2021. His mother, Mamie Till Mobley courageously held an open casket funeral service, exposing his brutal murder and raising America's awareness about the depth of hatred towards Blacks. Till was lynched in 1955 by racists White men in Mississippi who accused him of flirting with a white woman, Carolyn Bryant Donham.
The boy's unrecognizable face being released in the media was a turning point in American history and the struggle for justice for African Americans. His mother wanted the world to see how her child had bee tortured. Young Till was 14 at the time of his murder, while on a visit from Chicago, marking a distinction in how Blacks were treated in the Deep South versus in Northern states. He was accused of whistling at Donham but witnesses gave conflicting reports setting off an investigation that lasted for decades. Till's death was an early glimpse of how Black youth are treated as adults and monstracized. The killings of Tamir Rice, Michael Brown and Trayvon Martin reinforce this notion.
New Jersey Democrat, Sen. Cory Booker and North Carolina Sen. Richard Burr, a Republican, introduced the bill recognizing the death of Emmett Till in September 2020 and reintroduced the legislation for the 117th Congress last year.
In a statement Booker shared why he ordered the recognition:
"His gruesome murder still serves as a solemn reminder of the terror and violence experienced by Black Americans throughout our nation's history. The courage and activism demonstrated by Emmett's mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, in displaying to the world the brutality endured by her son helped awaken the nation's conscience, forcing America to reckon with its failure to address racism and the glaring injustices that stem from such hatred."
"More than six decades after his murder," wrote Sen. Booker I am proud to see the Senate pass long-overdue legislation that would award the Congressional Gold Medal to both Emmett and Mamie Till-Mobley in recognition of their profound contributions to our nation."
Per the Department of Justice, on Dec. 6, 2021, "Assistant Attorney General Kristen Clarke, Acting U.S. Attorney Clay Joyner, District Attorney W. Dewayne Richardson and career attorneys and employees from the Civil Rights Division and the FBI met with members of Till’s family, including a family member who had been a witness to the events preceding Till’s abduction and murder. The purpose of the meeting was to explain the reasons for closing the investigation and to give the family an opportunity to ask questions about the department’s investigation and conclusions."
The DOJ reopened the case four years ago as new information came in it said.
The honor comes the United State s undergoes a "racial reckoning" over Blacks being disproportionately killed by police and the affects of systemic racism being exposed.
CULTURAL CONTEXT: While the case in the death of Emmett me be closed, his image and pain his mother experienced is all too familiar in modern day America. True racial reconciliation has not fully arrived. Social media and video footage is the new form advertising used to expose and "raise the consciousness of America" about the unfair treatment of Blacks, which has led to the families of some slain Blacks getting justice in court, a menial sign of progress. This progress was seen over the last year in the cases of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery and Daunte Wright. Each case was lined with traces of racism that shows America has not fully arrived it moment of reckoning and the Criminal Justice System itself is in need of repair. A in it was in the time of Emmett Till, it is now -- it should not take plastering tragedy in people's faces for African Americans to be humanized and treated equally. While the Congressional Gold Medal is honorable, it is not sufficient recognition to reflect the courage it still takes to be Black in America.
LEARN MORE ABOUT EMMETT AND MAMIE TILL MOBLEY
The story of Mamie Till Mobley is featured in the ABC series "Women of the Movement." "Women of the Movement" is a scripted series created to inform and expand our viewers' understanding of historical events, still relevant today. The limited series tells the story of Mamie Till-Mobley, who in 1955 risks her life to find justice after her son Emmett is brutally murdered in the Jim Crow South. While we feel this show is an important story to tell, we recognize that the events depicted in the show may be challenging to watch for some viewers. VIEW THE TRAILER BELOW.
