Emmett Till and His Mother Mamie Till-Mobley to Be Honored With Congress' Highest Honor

The late Emmett Till and his mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, are set to receive Congressional Gold Medal, Essence reports. 

In 1955, Chicago-native Emmett Till was lynched after being falsely accused of flirting with a white woman. His mother insisted that he had an open casket funeral to show everyone the extent of the brutality. She spent the remainder of her life fighting for equality on her son’s behalf before dying at the age of 81 in 2003.

In September 2020, Senator Cory Booker introduced legislation that would posthumously honor Emmett Till and his mother with the Congressional Gold Medal, which passed in January of this year. Following the Senate’s version, the House passed a bill on Wednesday with a unanimous vote. The honor ceremony will be held at the National Museum of African-American History. 

Between this Congressional honor and the recent unveiling of Emmett Till’s statue in Greenwood, Mississippi, these recognitions are long overdue, but we will continue to uplift their names and keep their legacies alive!

This article was originally posted to BOTWC