A documentary examining the 1955 murder of a 14-year-old boy from Chicago while visiting relatives in Mississippi, and the broad impact of his death, his funeral, and the subsequent trial and acquittal of his white killers.
Emmett Till’s name will forever echo through the souls of each generation enduring the residuals of slavery and racism in America. In 1955, the fourteen-year-old left his Chicago home to visit family in Mississippi, never imagining he would endure one of the most horrific acts of violence anyone has ever heard of. After he and a friend stopped by a store to buy a drink, days later he was abducted from his bed in the middle of the night by two white men with guns as one accused him of whistling at his wife. Emmett was beaten unrecognizable, mutilated, shot in the head, and thrown into Tallahatchie River. The verdict allowed all involved to go free with the excuse that the body pulled from the river may not have been Emmett Till.
With intimate interviews from his family and close friends, this gripping story gives you chills wondering how anyone can commit such an act and get away with it in a country considered to be the best in the world. Director Stanley Nelson does an incredible job of reminding us what this country was truly built upon, it’s real history, and how far we have not come as a nation. Originally released in 2003, this never gets easier to watch as it will always be emotionally triggering but at the same time very much needed especially during these racially charged times. A must-see for everyone!
WORLD Channel, the national broadcast and multiplatform outlet dedicated to bringing diversity to public media audiences, presents “Race in America,” a series of films and events exploring race, the struggle for civil rights in America, and how that history is still playing out in modern society, politics and everyday life. The films of the “Race in America” collection will air nationwide on Saturdays on WORLD Channel at 8 pm ET/9 pm PT through March 2021. They will also stream at worldchannel.org.
