​
April 17, 2024: The Emmett Till Interpretive Center has been named an official partner of the newly created Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument. Read more here.
​
.jpg)
RACIAL RECONCILIATION BEGINS BY TELLING THE TRUTH
Monument Designation
The Emmett Till Interpretive Center has accomplished great strides towards the work of preserving monuments to aid the honoring and recognition of Emmett Till and his legacy in the context of the history of the United States.
Some notable works from the Interpretive Center in within this pillar of our work include:
- Reconstructing the Tallahatchie Courthouse to its state during the 1955 trial.
- Persistently establishing signs to mark Graball Landing, where Till's dead body was found, despite repeated attempts of vandalism.
- Creating the Emmett Till Memory Project App, which serves as a guide for historically significant sites related to his story in both Mississippi and Chicago.
- Officially establishing the Tallahatchie Courthouse, Graball Landing, and Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ as national parks of the United States.
The current Tallahathie Courthouse -- designed to resemble the exact courthouse which held the 1955 Emmett Till murder trial.
The current Graball Landing sign is bulletproof due to the many previous acts of vandalization enacted upon the sign. Our center is dedicated to ensuring there will always be a devandalized sign in this location in honor of Emmett Till and his legacy.
The current state of Bryant's Grocery -- a site that was crucial to the story of Emmett Till. With no recognition and honor of sites like these, the current story and commemoration of Emmett Till is incomplete.
Despite our great progress, the center still has many goals that we are currently working to achieve with regard to monument preservation. These include:
- Recognition and honoring of Bryant's Grocery, the convenience store where Emmett Till whistled at Caroline Bryant. The store currently lay in ruins and shows no sign of commemoration nor remembrance.
- Official recognition and honoring of Seed Barn in Sunflower County, MS, where Emmett Till was brutally beaten.
- Revamping the Emmett Till Memory Project app to enable more user-friendly interaction
The barn of J.W. Milam, located in Drew, MS. It was here that Emmett Till was brutally beaten by two white men.