June 2023: Click here to see the new 6-lesson Emmett Till curriculum “I Wanted the Whole World to See”: The Murder of Emmett Till,” developed in partnership with Facing History & Ourselves!
Racial reconciliation begins by telling the truth.
President Biden Declares Emmett Till & Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument
On July 25, 2023, on what would have been Emmett Till’s 82nd birthday, President Biden signed an executive order creating the Emmett Till & Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument that includes Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ in Chicago where Mamie Till-Mobley held the open casket funeral for her son and two sites in Mississippi: the Tallahatchie County Courthouse and Graball Landing. The new park was unveiled in a ceremony at Roberts Temple on August 1.
“I Wanted the Whole World to See”: The Murder of Emmett Till curriculum now live!
The Emmett Till & Mamie Till-Mobley Institute partnered with Facing History and Ourselves to develop a 6-unit lesson on the murder of Emmett Till, aimed at 9th-12th grade students. This unit delves into the history and legacy of the murder of Emmett Till, considering what we can learn from it as we work to achieve racial justice.
Emmett’s 80th Birthday Celebration in Chicago
On July 25, 2021, on what would have been Emmett’s 80th birthday, the Till Institute dedicated a commemorative plaque on the site of Emmett’s childhood home in Summit Argo, Illinois. The plaque dedication was a part of a weekend of activities that included a community gathering of people who knew and remembered Emmett and a bus tour of Summit Argo, Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ, and Burr Oak Cemetery where Emmett is buried and Mrs. Till-Mobley is entombed. The property was purchased with a grant from the State of Illinois, and the marker was purchased by the Mamie Till-Mobley Estate.
The Emmett Till Anti-Lynching Act was Signed Into Law on March 29, 2022
Reverend Wheeler Parker, Emmett Till's cousin and best friend, and last living witness to Till's abduction in 1955, and his wife, Dr. Marvel Parker, Executive Director of the Till Institute, were invited to the White House by President Biden.
Take a 3D walkthrough of the traveling exhibit Emmett Till & Mamie Till-Mobley: Let the World See, co-sponsored by the Till Institute, the Emmett Till Interpretive Center, and the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis.
“Emmett Till’s 1955 lynching is the first Black Lives Matter story.”
— Christopher D'Angelo Benson, Till Institute Board President
Without question, we cannot begin to meet the future challenges of a multicultural democracy without understanding how we arrived at this point in our nation’s development. The current national push for racial reconciliation must be seen in an historical and meaningful context. The challenge is for people—particularly young people—to become involved in critical consideration of social issues and robust discussion that ultimately will lead to a more equitable and inclusive society. At the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley Institute, we believe people must be provided a reason for that engagement through balanced, critical discourse that can lead to enlightened participation.
We are dedicated to meeting the challenge through development of educational initiatives, offering scholarships, funding the work of research fellows, developing public programming, and publishing. Our programmatic efforts are best understood by a summary of the three pillars of our organization: Memory, Meaning, Movement.
“Emmett Till was my George Floyd. He was my Rayshard Brooks, Sandra Bland and Breonna Taylor.”
— Congressman John Lewis