President Biden has officially announced the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument as the country’s 425th national park unit.
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According to a press release, the announcement came yesterday on the 82nd anniversary of Till’s birth. The new monument will feature locations in Mississippi and Chicago that closely connect to Till and his life story, which is a pivotal part of the Civil Rights Movement.
A Focus on History
Till was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, but at 14 years old, while visiting family in Mississippi, he was murdered. A white woman, Carolyn Bryant, accused Till of whistling at her, leading to his brutal death. Till’s killers were acquitted, which set off outrage across the country.
Till’s mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, chose to hold an open casket funeral in Chicago, further igniting the spark that pushed the Civil Rights Movement forward.
“Over the past two years, it has been my honor to visit the sites that help tell the story of Emmett and Mamie’s lives with the family and community members who loved them. President Biden’s establishment of this national monument is a testament to the strength and bravery of Mamie Till-Mobley to honor her son and ensure that his death was not in vain,” said Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland, who oversees the National Park Service. “We are honored to be entrusted with the responsibility of preserving their stories as part of our enduring effort to pursue a more perfect union.”
The New Monument
The new monument includes two sites in Mississippi, including Graball Landing in Glendora, the scene of the lynching, and the Tallahatchie County Second District Courthouse in Sumner, where Till’s murderers were tried and acquitted. The funeral site at Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ will also be part of the monument in Chicago.
The National Park Service is working to preserve other sites related to the incident, including a funeral home and Till’s boyhood house.
You can find additional details to visit the site on the official NPS page.
