Mamie Till
Encyclopedia
Mamie Elizabeth Carthan Till Bradley Mobley (November 23, 1921 - January 6, 2003) was the mother of Emmett Till
, whose murder mobilized the civil rights movement
.
Her son Emmett Till
was murdered on August 28, 1955, at the age of 14, after being accused of interacting in some way with a white woman (the exact nature of the interaction is under debate). For her son's funeral, Till-Mobley insisted that the casket
containing his body be left open, because, in her words, "I wanted the world to see what they did to my baby."
Till graduated from Chicago Teacher's College in 1956, and obtained a master's degree
in administration at Loyola University Chicago
in 1976.
She died of heart failure in 2003, aged 81; the same year, her autobiography (written with Christoper Benson), Death of Innocence: The Story of the Hate Crime that Changed America, was published.
Emmett Till
Emmett Louis "Bobo" Till was an African-American boy who was murdered in Mississippi at the age of 14 after reportedly flirting with a white woman. Till was from Chicago, Illinois visiting his relatives in the Mississippi Delta region when he spoke to 21-year-old Carolyn Bryant, the married...
, whose murder mobilized the civil rights movement
Civil rights movement
The civil rights movement was a worldwide political movement for equality before the law occurring between approximately 1950 and 1980. In many situations it took the form of campaigns of civil resistance aimed at achieving change by nonviolent forms of resistance. In some situations it was...
.
Her son Emmett Till
Emmett Till
Emmett Louis "Bobo" Till was an African-American boy who was murdered in Mississippi at the age of 14 after reportedly flirting with a white woman. Till was from Chicago, Illinois visiting his relatives in the Mississippi Delta region when he spoke to 21-year-old Carolyn Bryant, the married...
was murdered on August 28, 1955, at the age of 14, after being accused of interacting in some way with a white woman (the exact nature of the interaction is under debate). For her son's funeral, Till-Mobley insisted that the casket
Casket
A casket, or jewelry box is a term for a container that is usually larger than a box, and smaller than a chest, and in the past was typically decorated...
containing his body be left open, because, in her words, "I wanted the world to see what they did to my baby."
Till graduated from Chicago Teacher's College in 1956, and obtained a master's degree
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
in administration at Loyola University Chicago
Loyola University Chicago
Loyola University Chicago is a private Jesuit research university located in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1870 under the title St...
in 1976.
She died of heart failure in 2003, aged 81; the same year, her autobiography (written with Christoper Benson), Death of Innocence: The Story of the Hate Crime that Changed America, was published.