A traveling exhibit looking at the life and legacy of Emmett Till and his mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, is being displayed at Mississippi Valley State University until Sept. 21.
“Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley: Let the World See” is now open at the James Herbert White Library in Itta Bena every weekday from 9 a.m. until 4 p.m.
The exhibit tells the story of Till, a 14-year-old Black boy murdered in the Mississippi Delta in 1955, and his mother Till-Mobley, whose decision to have an open-casket funeral for her son was an important catalyst in the civil rights movement. Till was wrongfully accused of making indecent advances at Carolyn Bryant, a white woman, at a grocery store before Bryant’s husband and his half-brother kidnapped and murdered Till.
Bryant admitted over 50 years after the incident that Till never touched her. The men who murdered Till, Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam, were tried and acquitted by an all-white jury but later confessed to the murder during a magazine interview.
The exhibit, which is free to the public, was developed by the Till family in collaboration with the Emmett Till Interpretive Center and The Children’s Museum Indianapolis. Its stop at MVSU holds particular historical significance, considering campus is situated approximately 30 miles away from the Tallahatchie River landing where Till’s body was found.
“This exhibition provides an invaluable educational opportunity for our students, faculty, and the broader community,” said Dr. Katherine Stromile Golden, provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at MVSU. “Having this powerful story told at our university, so close to where these tragic events unfolded, creates a unique opportunity for reflection, learning, and healing.”
A centerpiece of the exhibit is a bullet-riddled historical marker that “both commemorates a tragedy and illustrates the ongoing scourge of racism,” according to an announcement by the Emmett Till Interpretive Center. Markers taking note of Till’s murder that have been installed near the Tallahatchie River continuously have been subject of vandalism over the years, with three white University of Mississippi students shooting and posing by the vandalized marker in 2019.
“We are thrilled about this opportunity to partner with [MVSU] to bring this exhibit to the Mississippi Delta, where the legacy of Emmett Louis Till and Mamie Till-Mobley continues to shape the way our communities heal,” said Patrick Weems of the Emmett Till Interpretive Center. “This experience will help people process past pain and imagine new ways of moving forward, which is a critical part of our work to promote restorative justice and foster community healing and understanding.”
“Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley: Let the World See” setting up at MVSU was made possible by the National Endowment for the Humanities, Democracy Demands Wisdom, the Maddox Foundation, the Institute for Museum and Library Services, and the Historic Preservation Fund. It is administered by the National Park Service.
The last time the exhibit visited Mississippi was in 2023 with a two-month stint at the Two Mississippi Museums in Jackson.
