The Murder of Emmett Till; Justice Department reopening 50-year-old case

 

• 14-year-old Black boy was tortured and murdered in Mississippi for whistling at a white woman

For many of you, the name Emmett Till may not sound familiar. But what happened to him in 1955 stunned the nation. Emmett Till was a young black boy who was murdered in Mississippi for whistling at a white woman. And his death was a spark that ignited the civil rights movement in America. Two white men were put on trial for killing him, but in spite of strong evidence against them, they were acquitted in about an hour by an all-white jury. Why are we telling you this now? Because this past spring, the US Justice Department opened a new investigation based on evidence suggesting that more than a dozen people may have been involved in the murder of Emmett Till and that at least five of them are still alive. Those five could face criminal prosecution. And before we tell you about them, let us tell you what happened to Emmett Till. [CBS Transcript here]

Comments

[Karma]

I think this is a good cause because the fact that I'm 14 years of age and I can't believe that they did this to him AT A YOUNG AGE! But the word is spreading and we are now reading about him in school.

[Cierra Reynolds]

I was stunned what they had did to a 14 year old boy.

[Brian "chris" odom]

I think its messed up what happened to emmmett till an messed up that schools in oregon dont teach the students about events like this. when i asked my middle school teachers about it they said they never heard about emmett till an i think thats sad. schools should teach students about black history an what blacks went threw in america because its not just black history its white history also, its america's history!

[Jane Doe]

I Heard many stories about Emmett Till and how he was so brutally tortured and murdered, and I can truly say even though it may have been extremely hard for his mother to have an open-casket funeral she did just the right thing to show the world just how stupid and ignorate people can be! I never could have imagined the DRASTIC change in such a handsome young man as Emmett to what he was beaten to,and it just burns me up on the inside to see interracial relationships because watching how the whites treated the blacks most people with some common sense would not put themself in such a low position as to become intertwine with such as that! People don't think that people are the same anymore and they may have changed their ways but people black and white are still being taught the same racial discrimintion now that was way back then. I am truly sorry that this is a long incerpt but I felt that I had to speak my mind and I am NOT apologizing if I have said anything someone does not like because it is not to my interest to spare feelings when it comes to something as serious as this....I mean come on the DEATH of a FOURTEEN year old boy was just REDICULOUS!!!! So what he whistled at a white female if she would have whistled at him NOBODY would have said a THANG!!!! And he probably would have still been killed or beaten for being such a HANDSOME young black man! I mean hey if the GOOD LORD blessed him with those looks how in the World was he gonna get rid of them!!!!! Okay now that I have said what I have to say I am going to close with my DEEPEST Sympathy to the family of Emmett Till....God is with you in every step that you make closer to the end of your journey in his will...He is never going to lead you where his grace can not keep you...ALWAYS never forget that....you are in my prayers and I love you but God loves you more!