Biden designates monument honoring Emmett Till, Black teen brutally killed in 1955

By Servet Gunerigok

WASHINGTON (AA) - US President Joe Biden established a national monument on Tuesday to honor Emmett Till and his mother, Mamie Till-Mobley.

"Today we join together as I sign a proclamation designating Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument in both Illinois and Mississippi," Biden said ahead of the signing.

"I can't fathom what it must have been like ... I know no matter how much time has passed, it's hard to relive this. It brings it all back," said the US president.

A White House statement said Monday that the monument will tell the story of the events surrounding Emmett Till’s murder, their significance in the civil rights movement and American history, and the broader story of Black oppression, survival, and bravery in America.

It said the monument will be anchored at three historic sites in Chicago, Illinois; Sumner, Mississippi; and just outside Glendora, Mississippi.

Till was 14 when he was brutally murdered in Mississippi in 1955. His mother, Mamie, played a pivotal role in seeking justice for her son and he became a prominent figure in the Civil Rights Movement.

The case remains a symbol of the fight for equality and social justice.

In August 1955, Till visited family in Money, Mississippi. Allegedly whistling at a white woman named Carolyn Bryant, he was abducted days later by her husband, Roy Bryant, and his half-brother, J.W. Milam.

Till's body was found three days later in the Tallahatchie River, severely beaten. His mother held an open-casket funeral to expose racial violence and injustice, shocking the nation and drawing international attention.