In August 1955, on a visit to relatives in Money, Mississippi, 14-year-old Chicago teenager Emmett Till was accused of whistling at a white woman. Punishment was swift. He was kidnapped, beaten, mutilated and shot, and his body dumped in the Tallahatchie River. When Emmett’s corpse was returned to Chicago his mother made the decision to leave his body untouched by the undertaker, with the casket open so everyone could see what happened to her son. It was a decision that would help ignite the civil rights movement.
THE MURDER OF EMMETT TILL (Thursday 12th, 8.30pm) examines the horrific crime and its lasting legacy as witnesses, friends and family members recount the tragic tale that continues to haunt America.