Two years ago, on July 25 — what would have been the 82nd birthday of the late Emmet Till — President Joe Biden designated the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument, preserving one of the most significant stories in Civil Rights history. In 1955, 14-year old Emmet Till was brutally murdered in a hate crime that sparked outrage across the country when his mother, Mamie Till-Mobley held an open casket funeral for her son. “Let the world see what they did to my boy."
The monument spans a trio of separate locations in Mississippi and Illinois:
- Tallahatchie County Courthouse (where his killers were acquitted)
- Roberts Temple Church (where his funeral was held)
- Graball Landing (where his body was recovered)
The National Religious Partnership for the Environment (NPRE), a trusted community partner, played a vital role in the designation by gathering testimony and statements from Black church leaders and helped to facilitate meetings with their representatives in Congress.
In their 2022 report "Stories on the Land: Showcasing Black History on Public Lands," NRPE highlighted Black church leaders' perspectives on public lands and how our national park system can more honestly tell the story of our nation's past.
The interviews revealed the profound notion that public lands — aside from their inherent health and recreational benefits — could serve as an important salve in countering the organized effort underway to discount and erase Black History. By telling their stories through and on the land, the religious leaders interviewed argues that their history — America's history— could be more rightly and fully told on the land.
With new signs at all national parks and monuments prompting visitors to report anything “negative about past or living Americans,” stories like Emmet's could essentially be erased. The sacred spaces of memory and education must stay protected! As we honor the legacy of Emmet Till and Mamie Till-Mobley, the work of remembering and knowing our history continues.