Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signs bill designating July 25 as Emmett Till Day
Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker on Thursday signed a law designating July 25 as Emmett Till Day statewide.
July 25 is Till's birthday. He would have turned 85 this year.
While visiting family in Mississippi in 1955, Till, 14 at the time, was kidnapped in the dead of night and then brutally lynched after reportedly whistling at a white woman.
When Till's badly decomposed body was found three days later in the Tallahatchie River, his mother Mamie Till refused to allow a quick burial and instead brought his remains back to Chicago, where she insisted on an open casket funeral.
That open casket funeral, and photos from it which were printed in newspapers nationwide, are credited with sparking the modern-day Civil Rights Movement.
Pritzker signed the bill designating Emmett Till Day at the Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ, 4021 S. State St., where Till's funeral was held.
The governor said he hopes the Emmett Till designation will encourage communities to mark July 25 each year for education, reflection, and public programming.
"Mamie Till-Mobley said, 'Let the people see what they did to my boy!' and today, Illinois is answering the call one more time," Pritzker said. "By signing this legislation, we ensure that the lives of Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley will not be forgotten."
