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About the Emmett Till Interpretive Center
OUR WORK
At the Emmett Till Interpretive Center, we preserve the story and sacred sites of Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley. Through narrative, education, and memorialization, our work invites people everywhere to confront the realities of 1955 and to pursue reconciliation and repair—helping spark a future rooted in truth, dignity, and democratic values.
OUR ASPIRATION
We strive toward a world where truth is told with courage, history is preserved with respect, and communities everywhere transform pain into purpose—building a future grounded in justice, equity, and shared humanity.
OUR ROOTS
The Emmett Till Interpretive Center was founded in 2006 out of a shared belief that reconciliation begins with truth. In 2007, Black and white citizens of Tallahatchie County came together to offer the only public apology ever given to the Till family—an unprecedented act of honesty and courage. That same spirit drove the restoration of the Tallahatchie County Courthouse, the site of the infamous trial, and Graball Landing, the site where Emmett’s body was pulled from the Tallahatchie River in 1955, which became part of the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument in 2023.
From the 2007 public apology to today’s stewardship of the courthouse, river site, and barn, our roots are a living promise: reconciliation begins with truth—and truth must lead to action. Since then, we have worked to preserve sacred sites, foster courageous remembrance, and create spaces for dialogue and education that encourages people to act.
We have worked to shift the narrative of the Mississippi Delta from silence to confronting the past together—transforming a local act of courage into a global model for truth-telling and memorialization, and opening the path toward a more just and compassionate future.