Source: United States Senator for North Carolina Richard Burr
Today, on what would have been Emmett Till’s 80th birthday, Senator Richard Burr (R-NC) released the following statement honoring the life and legacy 66 years later:
“Emmett Till’s gruesome murder and the subsequent acquittal of his killers tragically demonstrated the violence and injustice that result from the evils of racism. The horrors of Till’s death and the incredible courage of his mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, brought national attention to the Civil Rights Movement and galvanized many in the fight for racial equality. Six decades later, on what would have been Till’s 80thbirthday, it is as important as ever to recognize Emmett Till, Mamie Till-Mobley, and their unfading impact on America. It is my hope that Congress will continue honoring their legacy by passing my legislation with Senator Booker to posthumously award them the Congressional Gold Medal.”
Background:
In 1955, 14-year-old Emmett Till was kidnapped, beaten, and brutally murdered in Money, Mississippi while visiting his uncle, Moses Wright. Till’s murderers were acquitted despite Wright providing an eyewitness testimony that the men on trial kidnapped Till.
Following Till’s death, his mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, brought his body back to Chicago and demanded an open casket funeral, where 50,000 attendees viewed his body. Till-Mobley allowed a photograph to be taken of Till in his casket, which galvanized civil rights activists.
Till-Mobley continued her work for justice in honor of her son. She created the Emmett Till Players, where teenagers traveled throughout the country presenting Martin Luther King, Jr. speeches. Additionally, Till-Mobley was the co-founder of the Emmett Till Justice Campaign, which significantly impacted our justice system by pushing for the re-investigation of Till’s murder by the State of Mississippi, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Department of Justice in 2004, and by working to pass the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act of 2007, to ensure the Justice Department and FBI investigate civil rights era cold cases.
In 2016, Senator Burr, along with the late Representative John Lewis (D-GA), led efforts to pass the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crimes Reauthorization Act of 2016, which was signed into law by President Obama on December 19, 2016.
On February 25, 2021, Senators Burr and Cory Booker (D-NJ) introduced legislation to posthumously award Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley the Congressional Gold Medal.