Emmett Till family re-creates train ride from Chicago to Mississippi to mark 70th anniversary

The family of Emmett Till has re-created his 1955 train ride from Chicago to Mississippi as part of efforts to mark the 70th anniversary of his brutal lynching, which helped spark the Civil Rights Movement. Why it matters: The commemoration comes as states pass laws limiting the discussion of racism in public schools and President Trump orders the restoration of memorials to racist Confederate figures in public spaces. Driving the news: The family left Wednesday night from Chicago's Union Station and arrived in Greenwood, Miss., on Thursday morning, on the anniversary of his murder.It was a similar ride that Till, a 14-year-old Black boy, took seven decades ago to visit family in Mississippi before he was killed. The Emmett Till Interpretive Center and the National Parks Conservation Association organized the ride.Passengers included the Rev. Wheeler Parker Jr. — Till's cousin and the last living eyewitness to his kidnapping—Parker's wife, Dr. Marvel Parker, and Juliet Louis, widow of sharecropper Willie Reed, who reported Till's death and testified at the murder trial.As teens, Rev. Parker and Till took a train from Union Station to Mississippi to see relatives.What they're saying: "We're not here to stir up animosity or hate, but to remind people of how far we've come and how much progress we've made," Rev. Parker told WBBM-TV."I'm always reminded of the suffering and price that he paid, but we've come a long way."Context: In 1955, Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam lynched Till after Bryant's wife, Carolyn Bryant Donham, accused Till of propositioning her despite witness accounts saying he whistled at her.Till crossed paths with Donham, who was then 20, at the grocery store she ran with her husband in Mississippi.Within days, Donham's husband and brother-in-law abducted and lynched Till after brutally mutilating his body.An all-white jury cleared the two white men in 1955, though they admitted to killing Till in an interview a year later.Till's case brought international attention to the racism and inequities in the U.S. justice system that many feel still exist today.In 2008, Donham reportedly recanted her allegation that Till had harassed her before his murder, though federal investigators say she later denied doing so. She died in 2023.The U.S. Department of Justice in 2021 formally closed its second investigation into the 1955 murder.Zoom out: The Emmett Till Interpretive Center will commemorate the 70th anniversary by hosting a series of activities from Thursday to Saturday at Mississippi Valley State University and the barn where Till was lynched in Drew, Miss.Events include a theatrical performance, three panel discussions, and a memorial service and wreath-laying ceremony.The Chicago History Museum is also hosting an exhibit, Injustice: The Trial for the Murder of Emmett Till."We will continue to use this horrific tragedy...Emmett Till's murder, as a constant reminder of how we have to continue to fight for justice," Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson told Axios."I stand on the shoulders of those incredible ancestors and giants," Johnson said, referring to Till's family and other civil rights leaders.Flashback: Former President Biden in March 2022 signed into law the Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act, which made lynching a federal hate crime in the U.S. for the first time in history.More than 200 other attempts to codify federal anti-lynching legislation failed.Go deeper: White woman at the center of Emmett Till lynching diesAmericans split on whether life was better in the 1950s

Comments

World news

Putin accused of ‘sabotaging peace’ after devastating airstrike on Kyiv kills 19 and hits British Council building

Independent

‘You’ve got to go easy on Trump’: Fox host scolds Jesse Watters for saying Trump didn’t do much to change Cracker Barrel logo

about 4 hours ago

Anna Paulina Luna misses the joke and promotes South Park caricature that mocked her

Independent

‘He would not have liked the plain Jane logo’: Family of Cracker Barrel’s original designer breaks silence on logo backlash

about 6 hours ago

‘He’s being played everywhere’: Newsom says world leaders laugh at Trump behind his back

Independent

Bombshell texts in Dr. Phil case appear to reveal brazen and ‘problematic’ bankruptcy ‘scheme’ to kickstart new media company

about 6 hours ago

Trump fans fire back at Gavin Newsom by sending him free merch with a sinister message

Independent

Russia’s devastating attack on Kyiv proves Trump’s Ukraine peace plans have failed. It is time for Europe to show leadership

about 8 hours ago

Death panels? New Medicare pilot under Trump would require Obamacare-like authorization that GOP demonized

Independent

Comments

Similar News

Emmett Till lynching records unveil government response

World news

Putin accused of ‘sabotaging peace’ after devastating airstrike on Kyiv kills 19 and hits British Council building

Sweeping ransomware cyberattack by ‘malicious actors’ hits Nevada - and even takes out the powerful Gaming Control Board

Ford issues urgent recall of nearly half a million cars after brake fluid leak

Atlanta Journal-Constitution to stop printing as it transitions to all-digital news

Phoenix Suns' minority owners sue Mat Ishbia, alleging mismanagement and lack of transparency

‘You’ve got to go easy on Trump’: Fox host scolds Jesse Watters for saying Trump didn’t do much to change Cracker Barrel logo

Anna Paulina Luna misses the joke and promotes South Park caricature that mocked her

‘Religious leaders’ arrested on charges of running a forced labor camp and money laundering

Study reveals which jobs are most at risk of being replaced with AI

Canada, India name new high commissioners in step toward ‘deepening’ ties

Police tight-lipped about homicide team deployment in Maple Ridge

Community that lost $472,000 to cyber attack failed to investigate: auditor general

RCMP seek Manitoba woman on gun, drug charges

Alberta budget deficit forecast to grow more than originally forecast this year to $6.5B

Brawl breaks out in Mexican Senate after debate on drug cartels

Fire tears through Edmonton lighting business, investigation underway

Budget ‘kite flying’ is damaging growth, new MPs warn Reeves

Taxing landlords and pensioners is Marxist nonsense

BBC holds urgent review after Lucy Letby documentary errors

Ranking each English club’s hopes of progress after the Champions League draw

Tony Blair steering Trump away from ‘more extreme’ Gaza plans, insiders say

Tehran’s Message to Trump: ‘Stop Listening to Bibi’

European Countries Trigger the ‘Snapback’ of Iran Sanctions

Putin may be playing for time while he carries on beating down Ukraine's will to win

Concern after British couple detained in Iran 'suddenly whisked' to courtroom

Scoop: Inside Trump's Gaza meeting with Tony Blair and Jared Kushner

Isolated Amazon tribe seen near logging bridge site, alarming rights group

Former MLB player Mark Teixeira running for Congress

Madeleine McCann suspect Christian Brueckner 'could be released in a fornight'

Alberta minister calls for automatic enrolment in Canada's new disability benefit

‘He would not have liked the plain Jane logo’: Family of Cracker Barrel’s original designer breaks silence on logo backlash

‘He’s being played everywhere’: Newsom says world leaders laugh at Trump behind his back

Trump wants to hire ‘any attorney’ to replace dozens of immigration judges he fired — with picks at Bondi’s discretion

Van Gogh Museum issues closure warning amid government row

Ex-NFL star who made $40 million scammed $300,000 out of women via dating platforms, cops say

ICE asks permission to use Chicago Navy base as launch pad for its immigration and deportation crackdown

Bombshell texts in Dr. Phil case appear to reveal brazen and ‘problematic’ bankruptcy ‘scheme’ to kickstart new media company

Trump fans fire back at Gavin Newsom by sending him free merch with a sinister message

Urgent search for British man, 66, who vanished in Marbella nearly two weeks ago

Microsoft fires two employees after activists stage Gaza protest in president’s office

Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook sues Trump after he ‘fired’ her

Crown Royal bottler closing down Ontario plant, moving operations to U.S

Less pork, more veggies keeps Willie Jefferson a dominant defensive force in the CFL

Fed Gov. Lisa Cook sues Trump administration to block her attempted firing

Britons resort to eating in their hotel rooms on holiday as Spain prices surge

Trumpism has come to a quiet Nottinghamshire town

The little-known rule that could explain Isak’s feud with Newcastle

‘It’s a huge betrayal’: Norwich break with 24 years of history and sell to Ipswich

Trump wants an all-powerful presidency – and he’s almost got it

Why even sensitive children don’t need ‘gentle’ parenting

Why RFK Jr. just broke the CDC

New footage reveals third Israeli strike on Gaza hospital that killed 22 and sparked global outrage

Experts reveal the air conditioning strategy to save energy and money when you’re out

RFK Jr, who doesn’t have a medical degree, says he can diagnose children just by just looking at them

A toddler was fatally beaten and left in a bathtub years ago. Cops just nabbed the disguised suspect 1,000 miles away

Non-verbal boy who climbed out of window drowned after ‘blunt force trauma’ by an alligator

Russia’s devastating attack on Kyiv proves Trump’s Ukraine peace plans have failed. It is time for Europe to show leadership

Death panels? New Medicare pilot under Trump would require Obamacare-like authorization that GOP demonized

Wall Street trader’s assistant had to clean fetid sofas after ‘orgies’ at boss’s $21 million NYC townhouse: lawsuit

The Latest: White House says CDC director is fired, agency leaders resign