Emmett Till in Civil Rights Movement: Desegregation
Emmett Till (1941–1955) was a young African-American boy from Chicago who in the summer of 1955 was murdered by two white Mississippi men who claimed he had whistled at a white woman.
Till's murder would resonate for many Black Americans, particularly those coming of age in the South, who saw no end to white violence. For so many, the image of a child's crushed skull illustrated the reality of the crisis in the South and inspired a new, steadfast fighting spirit. The generation haunted by the memories of Emmett Till's death would lead an unprecedented struggle against racial injustice.