The Dark Side of 1955

1955 was the summer that Disneyland first opened; it was also the summer Emmett Till lost his life. Fifty years ago today, the 14-year-old from Chicago was dragged from his relatives' house in the dark of night in Money, Mississippi, and was never again seen alive. A few days later, his mangled body was found in the nearby Tallahatchie River; once his body arrived home in Chicago, his distraught mother decided, against the advice of others, to have an open-casket funeral so that, in her words, "Let the people see what they did to my boy."

Emmett's death is one of the various triggers that initiated the full-scale Civil Rights Movement in the U.S., which took off in the wake of his death with Rosa Parks' refusal to give up her bus seat in Montgomery, Alabama, on December 1, 1955. In the fifty years since, so much has changed. But despite the arrest of Emmett Till's killers, they were acquitted by a jury that took just over an hour to return a verdict. This summer, his body was exhumed for the purposes of identification and examination for further clues. A dwindling handful of people who may have been involved with the murder are still alive, and there's speculation of possible indictments. Somehow I doubt that, but it'll be interesting to see what does happen.

So what else can you say about a long-ago murder case? I just read an article (WaPo-- registration required) that both looks back at Till's death and the changes (or lack thereof) since; when you think about it, yes, a lot has changed since that August night in 1955, but in many other ways, a lot hasn't. The piece discusses the exhumation and the prospects of new charges in the case-- many of those interviewed said it was too long ago, and may not really make a difference now. While I can appreciate that, I disagree, for one sole reason: near the end of the article, a group of youths are asked if the name "Emmett Till" rang any bells with them. Only one was able to volunteer any information about the young man who was their age or slightly younger, who today would be on the verge of being eligible for Social Security.

I think part of the problem today with a lot of issues such as racism, abortion, religious divisions, etc. is that we don't struggle as much with these issues as we once did. While this is a *very* positive thing (who wants segregation, back-alley coathanger abortions, and religious antagonism back??), many younger people don't remember what it was like, or why the fight for change was vitally important. I think it's one of the major problems for Labor today; not enough people remember when working conditions were much more terrible than now, and only the unions stood up against the bosses and big business. So it is with Emmett Till and racism: occasionally you'll run across an incident or case that brings back a reminder, but by and large segregation, lynchings, and middle-of-the-night "disappearances" are a thing of the past. This is why understanding the past, knowing the history, and keeping alive the memories is an important thing to do. So even if all that is accomplished by digging up Emmett Till's body is to lead to an article like this one, then it may be enough: someone who didn't know, or doesn't know enough, will read it-- and they'll remember.

Rest in peace, Emmett Louis Till.