Ray Metoyer (BROADCAST JOURNALIST), The Director of the documentary, Who Killed Emmett Till? and Deborah Watts (AUTHOR OF 101 WAYS TO KNOW YOU'RE "BLACK" IN CORPORATE AMERICA) co founder of the Emmett Till Legacy Foundation and Till Family member/cousin, will be sharing the powerful 45 minute documentary WHO KILLED EMMETT TILL? along with an eye opening post discussion with audiences across the country.
WHO KILLED EMMETT TILL?
The murder of Emmett Till in August of 1955 became one of the pivotal moments of the American Civil Rights Movement because of the tireless efforts of his mother Mamie Till Mobley. Emmett, who was from Chicago, was visiting his relatives in Money, Mississippi, when he was kidnapped, tortured and murdered for whistling at a white woman. His mother fought to bring his body back to Chicago and then showed the world what they had done to him.
Americans from all walks of life were appalled at the horrible pictures of his disfigured body which were printed in magazines like Jet, Ebony and Life. For the first time there was visible proof of the horrors of the racism and terror that many Blacks were experiencing in the South.
The documentary, "Who Killed Emmett Till?" directed by Ray Metoyer, takes a look at the time line of the murder with first hand interviews from witnesses who were there when Emmett was kidnapped from his family. We see the barn where he was tortured and killed and look back on the murder investigation, where his killers were allowed to walk away without even a slap on the wrist. Through the film we learn more about the vicious climate of hatred that permeated the South and how the Emmett Till murder was part of a much larger campaign to maintain a climate of fear for southern Blacks, who weren't even allowed to vote at that time. The case today has lead to new investigations into dozens of unsolved murders from the early days of the fight against segregation.
But we also learn that there is an undying interest in Emmett Till from people all over the world, including Emmett Till's family and the Emmett Till Legacy Foundation (ETLF) who still want answers today. We also witness how the ETLF, established in 2005 by co founder and Till Family member, Deborah Watts, commemorates the memory of Emmett's murder and dedicates its ongoing efforts to turning an ugly part of American History into a positive, inspired and empowered future for youth in America and across the world.
What a great story about moving forward beyond tragedy!
Discover and discuss how the past is important and relevant to the present/today!
A Who Killed Emmett Till? 7 min preview can be viewed here at our website (scroll down to the 6th video:
http://www.emmetttilllegacyfoundation.com/... or
You can check out the preview on You Tube favorite with over 200,000 views!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BL1vMFwZEus This is an opportunity you don't want to miss for your class/students.
Posted By: Reginald Culpepper
Monday, December 10th 2012 at 6:01PM
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