Booker Applauds Senate Passage of Legislation to Posthumously Award Congressional Gold Medal to Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley

Statement

Today, U.S. Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) applauded the Senate passage of legislation that would posthumously award Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley the Congressional Gold Medal, the United States Congress's highest civilian honor. Booker first introduced the legislation in September 2020 and reintroduced the legislation for the 117th Congress last year.

"At the age of 14, Emmett Till was abducted and lynched at the hands of white supremacists. His gruesome murder still serves as a solemn reminder of the terror and violence experienced by Black Americans throughout our nation's history," said Sen. Booker. "The courage and activism demonstrated by Emmett's mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, in displaying to the world the brutality endured by her son helped awaken the nation's conscience, forcing America to reckon with its failure to address racism and the glaring injustices that stem from such hatred. More than six decades after his murder, I am proud to see the Senate pass long-overdue legislation that would award the Congressional Gold Medal to both Emmett and Mamie Till-Mobley in recognition of their profound contributions to our nation."

Background:

In 1955, Emmett Till was kidnapped, beaten, and brutally murdered in Money, Mississippi while visiting his uncle, Moses Wright. Till's murderers were acquitted despite Wright providing an eyewitness testimony that the men on trial kidnapped Till.

Following Till's death, his mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, brought his body back to Chicago and demanded an open casket funeral with more than 50,000 attendees. Till-Mobley allowed a photograph of Till to be taken in his casket, which galvanized activists who were working for civil rights.

Till-Mobley continued her work for justice in honor of her son. She created the Emmett Till Players, where teenagers traveled throughout the country presenting Martin Luther King, Jr. speeches. She co-founded the Emmett Till Justice Campaign, while pushed for the re-investigation of Till's murder by the State of Mississippi, the FBI, and the Department of Justice in 2004. The campaign also successfully worked to pass the Emmett Till Unsolved Civil Rights Crime Act of 2007 to ensure the Justice Department and FBI investigate civil rights era cold cases.

Source