By David Jordan Jr
Emmett Till would have turned 80 years old today had he not been the victim of an inhumane, racially inspired, hate-filled murder. We are still seeking Justice for The Till family. Till was born on this date, July 25th in 1941 in Chicago, Illinois to Mamie Carthan Till and Louis Till. 
His life was tragically and viciously cut short at the young age of fourteen years old in Money, Mississippi when he was in the Mississippi Delta visiting family members. Carolyn Bryant, a white woman, accused Emmett of whistling at her inside Bryant’s Grocery and Meat Market. The ensuing events which followed in the following days not only changed the ugly course of American History, but it also displayed the totality of hate, ignorance and injustice which was at the time, an understood social construct for black people that lived in the United States of America at that time, and in many aspects, in today’s present society. Those that were accused of the murder and execution of Emmett Till were not only found not guilty, they never served any time and were all essentially celebrated, while those that testified or presented any contradicting statements or evidence against them were ignored, arrested, disregarded, or ran out of town. Fast forward to today and Carolyn Bryant is still alive, and yet to be in any way questioned about her actions or any other information she has about the killing and those that participated in the killing of Emmett. Bryant admitted to Timothy B. Tyson that her allegations against Till were not true, yet there hasn’t been a collective push from organizations that call themselves about justice, people that call themselves about justice to see that she be held accountable for her negligence and how her lie set up the foundation for the murder of an innocent black man. Filmmaker Keith Beauchamp has been one of the biggest advocates for justice for Emmett Till and his family as he has made it a life effort to not only inform the world about the life of Emmett Till and his tragic murder but to also see to it that the entirety of the events which led to his murder are known.
Beauchamp released a documentary, “The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till” which led to the case being reopened by the United States Department of Justice in May 2004. The biggest question that needs to be answered is why is it some justice seems to be more necessary than others? Murder is murder, lies are lies and if they go hand in hand, those responsible should be held accountable, as that is what the law states. The strength, courage, and resilience of The Emmett Till Legacy Foundation, Keith Beauchamp and the Till family has enabled to crusade for justice to continue for over the sixty-plus years since Emmett’s murder.
A collective effort and push from the world are what will be necessary and essential for justice to be brought to the Till family.
THE EMMETT TILL LEGACY FOUNDATION OFFICIAL WEBSITE : CLICK HERE
