The life and legacy of civil rights icon Emmett Till will be commemorated through a series of events scheduled to take place across Mississippi through November.
Following a three-day commemoration marking the 70th anniversary of Till’s kidnapping and murder, the Emmett Till Interpretive Center will host multiple “Remembering Emmett” events. These programs will highlight conversations about truth-telling, racial justice, healing, and the ongoing relevance of Till’s story to contemporary civil rights work.
“The overwhelming response to our 70th anniversary commemoration demonstrates that communities across Mississippi are ready to engage with this history in transformative ways,” Dr. Daphne Chamberlain, chief program officer at the Emmett Till Interpretive Center, said. “These continued events provide opportunities for people who couldn’t attend the August commemoration to participate in this important work of truth-telling and reconciliation.”
The “Remembering Emmett: From Silence to Social Change” series, funded by the Mississippi Humanities Council, serves to create spaces for dialogue, reflection, and action. Earlier programs included the 2025 CASE Festival at the Margaret Walker Center at Jackson State University and the 70th anniversary commemoration session on August 29 at Mississippi Valley State University.
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The upcoming events include partnerships with storied and prestigious institutions and celebrations, including Tougaloo College’s 156th Founders’ Week, where Rev. Wheeler Parker, Jr., Emmett Till’s cousin, will serve as the convocation speaker.
“Young people continue to be at the heart of this work,” Jay Rushing, youth coordinator at the Emmett Till Interpretive Center and a 2018 graduate of Mississippi Valley State University, said. “From our Summer Youth Institute alumni to the students we’ll engage through teacher workshops, we’re ensuring that future generations understand not just what happened to Emmett Till, but how his story connects to ongoing struggles for justice today.”
Below is a full list of upcoming “Remembering Emmett” events:
Thursday, October 9, at 11:00 a.m.
- “Remembering Emmett: From Silence to Social Change”
- Tougaloo College 156th Founders’ Week
- 500 W. County Line Rd, Tougaloo, Miss. 39174
- Hosted by the Tougaloo College School of Humanities
Sunday, October 12, at 10:00 a.m.
- Tougaloo College 156th Founders’ Week Convocation
- Rev. Wheeler Parker, Jr. – Convocation Speaker
- 500 W. County Line Rd, Tougaloo, Miss. 39174
- Woodworth Chapel
Saturday, November 1, 2025 | TIME: 11:00 am
- “Remembering Emmett: From Silence to Social Change”
- Morning Star Baptist Church
- 2050 Thornton Ave, Gulfport, Miss. 39501
Saturday, November 15, 2025 | 11:00 am
- “Remembering Emmett: From Silence to Social Change”
- Mound Bayou Museum of African American Culture & History
- 304 Main St, Mound Bayou, Miss. 38762
Emmett Till’s Story
Over six decades ago, Till was staying with relatives in the small town of Money when he was accused of whistling at Carolyn Bryant Donham, a white woman. When told of Till’s purported actions, Donham’s husband, Roy Bryant, and his half-brother, J.W. Milam, beat and tortured the teen. He died from a gunshot to the head.
After Till’s death, his mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, insisted on an open-casket funeral to expose the brutality of her son’s lynching. Hundreds of thousands of people were, then, able to see the violence that had been inflicted on Till, given the images of him in his casket were circulated across multiple outlets.
The young man’s death has fueled a civil rights movement that has lasted for decades, with his renewed case being closed once again in December 2021, leaving Donham free of any charges. Donham went on to pass away from a battle with cancer in April 2023.
