A traveling exhibit detailing the murder of Emmett Till and the activism sparked by his mother Mamie Till-Mobley opens today at the Civil Rights Memorial Center.
The exhibit features large standing displays that tell Till’s story, plus interactive elements such as a telephone that guests can pick up to hear an eyewitness account from Wheeler Parker or a touchscreen that lets users look through photos from Till’s funeral.
“We being with the past and (Till’s) life as a young man, but we also incorporate the present component,” said Lauren Blanding, manager of the Civil Rights Memorial Center. “So the exhibit ends with talking about the connection of the social and racial justice and activism that we need to continue today.”
Two white men kidnapped, beat and killed the 14-year-old boy in Mississippi in 1955 after they alleged he made advances on a white woman at a store. The brutal killing sparked intense protests for civil rights for Black citizens.
The exhibit highlights the different way media at the time treated the incident, with guests able to discreetly view two different articles published about the murder; one from a Black magazine shows Till’s battered face, while a white magazine relies heavily on the account of the killers.
It also details the struggles in the years following the murder, including a display of a 2018 historical marker placed at the river site where Till’s body was recovered. The sign is riddled with bullet holes, as every marker placed there eventually is.
The exhibit comes from the Emmett Till Interpretive Center in Mississippi in partnership with the Children’s Museum of Indianapolis and has been traveling across the country for the past five years before finally coming to Montgomery, the birthplace of the Civil Rights Movement.
The Civil Rights Memorial Center is open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, with the last guest being admitted at 4:15. Tickets are $5 for adults, $2 for students and free for children under 8, and include access to the full museum. The exhibit will be open to the public through August 17.
