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Mississippi Barn Where Emmett Till Was Killed to Become Memorial by 2030
A barn in Mississippi where 14-year-old Emmett Till was tortured and killed is set to open as a memorial site by 2030, according to the new owner. The Emmett Till Interpretive Center (ETIC) announced the purchase on Sunday, aided by a $1.5 million donation from television producer and writer Shonda Rhimes.
ETIC Executive Director Patrick Weems said, “We think that where the worst harms have happened, the most healing is possible.” The barn will serve as a memorial ahead of the 75th anniversary of Till’s lynching in 1955.
Two white men confessed to Till’s killing after being acquitted by an all-white jury in 1955. A Justice Department investigation indicated at least one other unnamed person was involved, and experts believe a total of between six and 14 others participated in the abduction.
Till was taken from his great-uncle’s home on August 28, 1955, after being accused of whistling at a white woman in a grocery store. The men brought him to the barn, where he was tortured and murdered. His body was later discovered in the Tallahatchie River. At his funeral, Till’s mother insisted on an open casket to show the public the horrific condition of her son’s body, marking a pivotal moment in the rise of the Civil Rights movement.
Weems expressed hope that the memorial will inspire questions about this dark chapter in American history, asking, “Have we done enough? Is there justice yet? Has our society moved in the direction of human rights that this sort of thing never happens?”
The barn will be under 24-hour surveillance and equipped with floodlights and security cameras as precautionary measures.
A historical marker at the site where Till’s body was discovered has been vandalized multiple times. The original marker was stolen in 2008, and the second marker was shot over 100 times. Currently, the third marker is the only bulletproof historical marker in the U.S., according to Weems.
Interestingly, the announcement of the barn’s purchase coincided with Till’s mother’s birthday, Mamie Till-Mobley, a civil rights activist who passed away in 2003.
