August 28 is a day many recognize for two things. It's the anniversary of the historic March on Washington. Fifty-seven years ago, about a quarter-million people gathered and heard Dr. Martin Luther King deliver his famous "I Have A Dream" speech. But also on this day in 1955, 14-year-old Emmett Till was abducted, beaten, and murdered in Mississippi after allegedly whistling at a white woman.
Jerry Mitchell, author and founder of the Mississippi Center for Investigative Reporting, says Till has become a modern-day symbol for injustice to African Americans throughout the Black Lives Matter movement.
"So when there's a protest for Trayvon Martin, there's an Emmett Till drawing or picture beside him," said Mitchell. "Or, if there's a George Floyd protest, there's a picture or drawing of Emmett Till or Emmett Till's name on signs right next to George Floyd. It's really this whole legacy of injustices to African Americans."
Till's assailants, the white woman’s husband and her brother, were never held accountable.
"White people, not only in Mississippi but across the country, have been taking the lives of Black folks for a very long time," said Marquise Hunt, an ambassador for the Emmett Till Legacy Foundation in Minneapolis.
"And for some reason, our justice system has protected white supremacy and racism and I think that it's our responsibility to continue to educate folks about what's really happening."
The foundation and Emmett Till Family For Justice are hosting events throughout the state this weekend.
