Why does Emmett Till have a marker and highway stretch named after him (military, racist)

[SippiStateBulldogs]

Originally Posted by Votre_Chef

Perhaps you could look at it as him being commemorated rather than honored.

I can accept that wordsmith. That makes more sense to me. Thanks.

[guestJ23]

Originally Posted by MissStateDawg

I know who Nathan Bedford Forrest was. I live in Memphis and was upset when they changed the name of the park named after him. He was a great general, Memphis city councilman, and southern legend. So what he owned slaves. Most counties and parks east of the Mississippi are named after people who owned slaves. The fort pillow massacre is subjective. Either way it was war. I do not see anything wrong with things being named after Nathan Bedford Forrest. Just like I do not mind things being named after Medgar Evers or Colt Hollier. Emmett Till no thank you. He was just a boy who came down here from up north and disrespected another mans wife. Like I said he should not have been killed but he is no hero.

A child got murdered and mutilated by grown men to the point that his body was grotesque and monstrous looking, his killers got off and bragged about it in a national interview and you sum it up as,' he was just somebody who disrespected some man's wife'. That's completely ridiculous and I don't know what the purpose of this thread is supposed to be. But the next time you want to ask a stupid question, google or even wikipedia it first. And I apologize for assuming that a Black person from Mississippi would have knowledge about one of the pivotal moments in civil rights history.

[Teddy52]

The true hero is Emmitt's mother.

If she hadn't insisted on an open coffin there would not have been a big uproar up north that forced Mississippi to bring it to trial.

Can anyone imagine the pain of attending a wake of your son and he looks that bad ?

[SippiStateBulldogs]

Originally Posted by Teddy52

The true hero is Emmitt's mother.

If she hadn't insisted on an open coffin there would not have been a big uproar up north that forced Mississippi to bring it to trial.

Can anyone imagine the pain of attending a wake of your son and he looks that bad ?

You already said this.

[Teddy52]

Originally Posted by MissStateDawg

You already said this.

No.

I added a sentence to it for clarification.

[Listener2307]

Originally Posted by Teddy52

The true hero is Emmitt's mother.

If she hadn't insisted on an open coffin there would not have been a big uproar up north that forced Mississippi to bring it to trial.

Can anyone imagine the pain of attending a wake of your son and he looks that bad ?

I underlined the portion of your post that interested me.

Is that actually true? Did, in fact, the uproar resulting from the open coffin force Mississippi to bring two men to trial? After all, the trial started only three weeks after the murder.

I don't know the answer, and my question may be either moot or unanswerable, but a hint is found here:

A local Mississippi newspaper speculated that the body found was not Till because it couldn’t be identified, even though Rev. Wright identified the body and retrieved a ring that Emmett wore. Amazingly enough, then-Mississippi Governor Hugh L. White was angered by the murder and sent notice to the NAACP that a full investigation was to take place.

Emmet Till Story: Teen Emmett Till Victim Of Kidnapping, Brutal Murder On This Day In 1955 | News One

The Emmett Till Murder Case: A Chronology

There is a picture of Emmitt in his coffin. *Warning* It's pretty graphic.

There is pretty strong evidence that the case would have gone to trial anyway. Emmitt's body was found on August 31, and the two men were indicted on September 7. On September 1, it was described by the NAACP as a lynching and Governor Wright promised the NAACP there would be a "vigorous prosecution" of the case.

The Emmitt Till case was a sensation that sent repercussions in a hundred directions. The repurcussions were amplified when the two men were found not guilty. I can see where huge numbers of Black people just nodded their head, and said, "Uh, huh. I guess we saw that coming".
Then they went to work getting civil rights legislation passed and enforced. So I can see where the open coffin event contributed that that part of history.
But "forcing it to trial"? Maybe not.

Maybe, in an absurd, ironic twist, the not guilty verdict was actually a major factor in getting civil rights to the forefront of legislation, and in that way served the needs of America even more than a guilty verdict would have.

The name of Emmitt Till would then serve as a 'stand in' for all the victims of lynchings that were never found, never identified, or just never claimed.

[phlinak]

Originally Posted by MissStateDawg

Ok I am African American and a Mississippian with roots going back 250 years. Why is Emmet Till honored? I mean I am not justifying his killing or saying the people who did it should not have been put in prison for life. What I am asking though is why is he honored. He whistled at another mans wife. That's not noteworthy enough in my book to warrant labeling him a civil rights leader or honoring him with a civil rights marker or stretch of highway. What are your opinions?

Sorry, I'm blowing the whistle and throwing the bulls*** flag.

Either you're a troll (and possibly a racist), an apologist for segregation (which is almost as bad as being a racist), or a very ignorant, uninformed and clueless individual who really needs to read a history book, watch the "Eyes On The Prize" documentary series, and if all else fails, have someone who is truly knowledgeable about the civil rights era sit down with you and explain the historical significance of Emmett Till's lynching.


Knowledge Is Power, Knowledge Is Liberating

[SippiStateBulldogs]

Originally Posted by phlinak

Sorry, I'm blowing the whistle and throwing the bulls*** flag.

Either you're a troll (and possibly a racist), an apologist for segregation (which is almost as bad as being a racist), or a very ignorant, uninformed and clueless individual who really needs to read a history book, watch the "Eyes On The Prize" documentary series, and if all else fails, have someone who is truly knowledgeable about the civil rights era sit down with you and explain the historical significance of Emmett Till's lynching.


Knowledge Is Power, Knowledge Is Liberating

I have seen eyes on the prize. Secondly I do not need to watch eyes on the prize to know my history. My mother lived it. She is a Black woman who grew up in segregated jim crow Mississippi. Furthermore my Grandma raised 7 kids in the 1940's and 1950's. My grandpa died when my mom was 11. That means my grandmother raised 7 kids for the most part by herself with no food stamps or government assistance and she was Black. I just keep it real. Unlike White liberals who act like they care about Blacks I really do. As a Black man I just feel like we have way more important people we can honor in the state of Mississippi who are Black other than emmmett till. Lastly as I said before I do not need a history lesson I have a Bachelor's in History with a minor in Africana/Black Studies from Cal-State Dominguez Hills and a Master's degree in Social Studies education from Mississippi State University. You can also click my name and see other posts I have made to and see I am not a troll.

[SippiStateBulldogs]

Also I am not an apologist I am realist. For example Black communities were stronger during jim crow than they are now. During Jim Crow educated Blacks or the talented tenth were forced to live in all Black communities and when things started going down hill in a neighborhood they would help to fix it because they had no choice but to live there. Now we are free to live where ever we want. My wife and I are moving from our semi ghetto neighborhood in Memphis next year to another one that still has Whites in it in the Memphis suburbs. because we can. We are both educated but do not feel like taking on the responsibility of lifting up the Black race in our neighborhood. I get enough of helping my people at my job. Does acknowledging these facts make me an apologist or a realist. White liberals love to keep us on the plantation. As soon as a Black man starts thinking for himself you claim oh he can't be Black. And if you saw me in person then I would be an uncle tom, sambo, sell out or race traitor.

[Madeline2121]

And right on cue, here is where OP informs us that we are all a bunch if racists because we don't agree with him.