“Let the people see what I have seen.” Mamie Till-Mobley launched a movement with those words, insisting on an open casket funeral for her 14-year-old son, Emmett Till, who was brutally murdered by two white men in Mississippi. That strategic decision, and the decision to publish graphic photos from the funeral in Jet magazine, galvanized the country and forced the world to finally make eye contact with the horrors being inflicted on Black people, especially throughout the American South.
Mamie Till-Mobley was an ordinary Black woman who used her darkest hour to shine a light on injustice and mobilize the masses, and for that, we celebrate her legacy on day 19 of Black History Bootcamp.
Join the 21 Day Black History Bootcamp at https://bit.ly/blackhistorybootcamp to receive specially curated emails with inspiring words, survival tips, speeches + dedicated songs to listen to for each featured legendary Black woman.
Disclaimer: We do not own the rights to the music or speech excerpt played during this broadcast. Original content can be found here:
Summertime / Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child by Mahalia Jackson: https://youtu.be/gfYlzSeSFu4
Mamie Till Speaks of Forgiveness: https://youtu.be/6Q3ZOCjkEwY