News Releases

A Mother’s Bravery. Her Son’s Legacy. Hear Their Story— The True Story of Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley

The family-oriented traveling exhibit Emmett Till & Mamie Till-Mobley: Let the World See will open on Saturday, April 1, at the Two Mississippi Museums and run through Sunday, May 14, 2023.   

Emmett Till was visiting Mississippi from his home in Chicago in 1955 when he was tortured and murdered for whistling at a White woman.

Developed by the Till family, Emmett Till & Mamie Till-Mobley Institute, Emmett Till Interpretive Center, and The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis, the exhibit shares how a mother’s bravery and fight for justice more than six decades ago fueled the Civil Rights Movement in America. 

“Through this exhibition, we invite people to bear witness to the painful history of racial violence in the United States, and to explore the transformative actions of a grieving mother,” said Pamela D.C. Junior, director of the Two Mississippi Museums.   

“Learning more about Emmett Till’s story is difficult, but I believe it’s crucial for families to understand what happened during the cruel and senseless tragedy to help people heal from prejudice and discrimination and to prevent senseless acts of violence today,” said Jennifer Pace Robinson, president and CEO, The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis.

Emmett Till & Mamie Till-Mobley: Let the World See will close on Sunday, May 14, and then travel to the DuSable Museum of African American History in Illinois, Atlanta History Center in Georgia, and National Civil Rights Museum in Tennessee before reaching its permanent destination at the Emmett Till Interpretive Center in Sumner, Mississippi. This exhibit is recommended for ages ten and up. 

The Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley Institute, a non-profit organization, is engaged in research and social justice advocacy. It is dedicated to preserving the memory and historical significance of the life and death of Emmett Till, and preserving the social action legacy of his mother, Mamie Till-Mobley. For more information about the Till Institute, visit www.tillinstitute.org.

The Emmett Till Interpretive Center was formed to confront the brutal truth of the 1955 murder of 14-year-old Emmett Till in the Mississippi Delta and to seek justice for the Till family and Delta community. The Center aims to tell the story of Emmett Till and his mother, Mamie Till-Mobley.

The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis is a nonprofit institution committed to creating extraordinary learning experiences across the arts, sciences, and humanities that have the power to transform the lives of children and families. For more information about The Children’s Museum, visit www.childrensmuseum.org.

This project was made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy Demands Wisdom, the Maddox Foundation in Hernando, the Institute for Museum and Library Services [MH-249226-OMS-21], and the Historic Preservation Fund administered by the National Park Service, Department of the Interior [15.904].

Museum hours are Tuesday–Saturday, 9 a.m.–5 p.m., and Sunday, 11 a.m.–5 p.m. The Museum of Mississippi History and the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum—Two Mississippi Museums—are located at 222 North Street in Jackson. For more call 601-576-6850 or email info@mdah.ms.gov.  

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