Move to honor Emmett Till, his mother, and the funeral home where his body was held
Democratic Chicago Congressman Danny K. Davis, along with many others, has introduced legislation to establish the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley and Roberts Temple National Historic Site in Illinois.
The legislation aims to honor Till, his mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, and Roberts Temple Church of God, where Emmett Till was taken to before he was buried.
Murders Roy Bryant and half bother J. W. Milam were armed as they stormed into went to Till’s great-uncle’s house and abducted Emmett. They beat and killed him before they tossed him into the Tallahatchie River. He died on August 8, 1955.
In the trial, an all-White, all-male jury took 67-minute deliberation because one juror said, “If we hadn’t stopped to drink pop, it wouldn’t have taken that long because we wanted to finish our Coca-Cola.†The found killers are not guilty.
Three days later, the boy’s mutilated and bloated body was discovered and retrieved from the river. Mamie Till-Mobley had her son’s body returned to Chicago, where people could see what they did to her’s son’s body.
Emmitt Till’s battered body was where his funeral was held.
Creating the Emmett Till, Mamie Till-Mobley, and the Roberts Temple National Historic Site, will ensure that these historical landmarks will continue to educate and
inspire future generations, said Davis, who represents Illinois 7th district.
Other congressional sponsors were Robin Kelly (IL-02), Jonathan Jackson (IL-01), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC-00), Henry Hank Johnson (GA-04), and Andre Carson (IN-07). U.S. Senator Tammy Duckworth introduced a companion bill in the Senate.