Ian Brickey, ian.brickey@sierraclub.org
WASHINGTON, D.C.-- On Tuesday, the White House confirmed President Biden would designate sites in Illinois and Mississippi as Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument, honoring the lives and roles of both in catalyzing the Civil Rights Movement.
In 1955, Emmett Till was killed by two white men, who were subsequently found not guilty of the crime by an all-white jury. The two subsequently admitted their complicity in the crime in a magazine article. Till-Mobley decided to keep her son’s casket open to show the world the brutality of racism and white supremacy.
The locations three locations included for the monument are the Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ in Chicago, where Till’s funeral was held; the Tallahatchie County Courthouse in Sumner, Miss., where those accused of killing him were acquitted; and a Tallahatchie River bank in Mississippi, where Emmett Till’s body was found. The latest national monument is Biden’s fourth and his first to commemorate Black history.
In response, Athan Manuel, Director of Sierra Club’s Lands Protection Program, released the following statement:
“National monuments preserve the historic, cultural, and spiritually significant places that make up our national story. They commit to memory who we are, where we come from, and that which past and future generations strive for.
“In 1955, Emmett Till's life was cut tragically short. But his legacy, and that of his mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, is of facing racist violence and defying it — not succumbing to it. As we continue their work today, this national monument ensures that their legacy will endure.
About the Sierra Club
The Sierra Club is America’s largest and most influential grassroots environmental organization, with millions of members and supporters. In addition to protecting every person's right to get outdoors and access the healing power of nature, the Sierra Club works to promote clean energy, safeguard the health of our communities, protect wildlife, and preserve our remaining wild places through grassroots activism, public education, lobbying, and legal action. For more information, visit www.sierraclub.org.