Emmett Till, Chicago Teen Brutally Murdered By White Supremacists, To Receive Congressional Gold Medal
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CHICAGO (CBS) -- The U.S. Senate has passed a bill awarding the Congressional Gold Medal to Emmett Till, the Chicago teenager murdered by white supremacists in 1955.
Till was just 14 years old when he was accused of whistling at a white woman in Mississippi. He was kidnapped, tortured, shot and lynched.
His murder sparked the civil rights movement. His mother Mamie Till-Mobley will also be awarded the medal, posthumously.
She insisted on an open casket funeral so the world could see the brutality that killed her son. The bill was introduced by a Senate Democrat and Republican who said it's long overdue.
Tonight, the Senate unanimously passed legislation to posthumously award the Congressional Gold Medal to Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley.
— The Leadership Conference (@civilrightsorg) January 11, 2022
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