Emmett Till Interpretive Center

Daytime image of the Tallahatchie County Courthouse in Sumner, MS.

On this day in 2007, the Tallahatchie County Courthouse was added to the National Register of Historic Places for architectural significance, later amended for its role in the trial for Emmett Till’s murder. Read more at MDAH: www.apps.mdah.ms.gov/Public/prop....

For Women's History Month, we honor Mamie Till-Mobley. She shared her grief with the world and helped inspire a movement that changed the course of history. (Image of Mamie Till-Mobley statue overlaid with silhouettes of women. Photo credit: Connor Steinkamp Photography)

We honor Mamie Till-Mobley this Women’s History Month. ETIC collected 300 wishes last year for her 104th birthday. One student wrote, “Your work as an educator and activist continues to inspire those of us who seek to learn, to lead, and to lift others through compassion and courage."

We lift up Jermarlius "Jay" Rushing, our Youth Engagement Coordinator. Jay has played a key role in developing the Till curriculum, the Youth Advisory Council, and various workshops. Jay, we see you and want the world to see you and the work you’ve done!

"There are some stories that a journalist can never forget no matter how hard one tries. [...] For me, the Emmett Till murder case was that kind of assignment." - Clotye Murdock Larsson

Clotye Murdock Larsson was the only woman covering the Till trial for Ebony, working alongside fellow reporters Simeon Booker and Moses Newson and photographer David Jackson. She would revisit the Till story in writing several times over the course of her life.

History is one of the most important tools we have to teach us where we come from and where we want to go as citizens. It informs us how we can make a more just and equitable world. When I first learned that the murder of Emmett Till took place less than 60 miles from my family farm and only 90 miles from where I grew up in Memphis, I was shocked. I had to go see the places and learn about this terrifying history. It was barely mentioned when I was growing up in Memphis. Once I stepped into the courthouse where the murder trial took place in 1955, visited the river site where Till’s body was recovered, and traveled to the barn where the brutal murder took place, I was never the same. Learning from leaders such as Patrick Weems and Reverend Williams has been life changing. The book, The Barn, by Wright Thompson should be required reading for all Americans. What has been most inspiring is seeing how my children have benefitted from visiting these places. I have seen firsthand how learning in situ about this history has shaped their outlook. It is vital for our children and future generations to learn about the history of Emmett Till. It is imperative that we support the work of preserving history and creating safe spaces to learn from our past. It is for these reasons and so many more that I support this valuable mission. - Mary Lapides, ETIC donor

Mary Lapides on supporting ETIC: “When I first learned that the murder of Emmett Till took place…only 90 miles from where I grew up in Memphis, I was shocked. [...] It is imperative that we support the work of preserving history and creating safe spaces to learn from our past.”

Last call to purchase 70th anniversary commemoration merchandise! ETIC's online shop closes on February 28th, so place your orders before then. All proceeds support our work.

Visit emmett-till.myshopify.com and see what’s in stock.

This Black History Month we lift up Benjamin Saulsberry, our Director of Public Engagement & Museum Education. He has captivated audiences across MS and the US through panels, media features, and trainings. Benjamin, we see you and want the world to see you and the work you’ve done!

Among seated court attendees, Moses Wright stands and points off camera at the men he saw in his home who kidnapped Emmett Till.

Emmett’s great uncle Moses Wright pointed out Emmett’s killers under testimony, risking his life by violating the norms of the Jim Crow South. The moment was captured by Ernest Withers in what Mamie Till-Mobley called “the single most significant photograph of the entire trial.”

In 2025,
- We purchased the barn where Emmett was lynched.
- We held a commemoration event to honor the 70th anniversary of Emmett's murder.
- We hosted the "Remembering Emmett" panel series.
- We led tours of the courthouse.

Thank you for your support. See our 2025 report at bit.ly/3ZGjq1g.

This Black History Month we lift up Venita Halbert, our Community Engagement Coordinator. She has been instrumental in planning and coordinating the annual memorial service at the seed barn, plus other community events. We see you, Venita, and want the world to see you and the work you’ve done!

Photo of student group and chaperones standing outside the Tallahatchie County Courthouse in Sumner, MS

We’re grateful the Leflore Academy Public Charter School from Greenwood was able to take their tour of ETIC and the historic courthouse after the winter storm forced us to reschedule. Many said they didn’t know about the Emmett Till story until then, let alone that it had happened in their backyard.

“In 1964, when I served as student body president of Queens College, I invited to campus a recruiter for that year’s historic Mississippi Civil Rights Summer. As a result, one of the Queens College students recruited for that summer’s campaign was Andy Goodman. Near the beginning of the summer, however, Andy — along with two other civil rights workers, James Chaney and Mickey Schwerner — were brutally murdered in Neshoba County, Mississippi. This was a notable, traumatic experience for the nation, for the Queens College community — and certainly for me. Consequently, I decided to participate directly in the Mississippi movement, and I spent each of the summers between my three law school years in the state’s movement. My Mississippi movement experiences were the most transformative aspects of my life, both personally and professionally. I founded and directed for ten years the nation’s largest national anti-hunger advocacy organization, FRAC (the Food Research and Action Center), which still exists today. I became the Founding Executive Director of Families USA, which I led for 34 years and which ultimately coordinated the national coalition to secure enactment of the Affordable Care Act; I am currently the organization’s Chair Emeritus. My enthusiasm about helping the Emmett Till Interpretive Center, therefore, brings me fully back to the very core of my life! And the story of Emmett is as historically important today as the story of the three civil rights boys who were killed in 1964.”

Donor Ron Pollack on supporting ETIC: “My Mississippi movement experiences were the most transformative aspects of my life, both personally and professionally. My enthusiasm about helping the Emmett Till Interpretive Center, therefore, brings me fully back to the very core of my life!”

Last call to purchase 70th Anniversary Commemoration merchandise! All proceeds support our work. Visit emmett-till.myshopify.com and see what's in stock. The store will close on the 28th.

Moses Newson covered important civil rights stories over the course of his journalism career, including the Till trial, Freedom Summer, and the desegregation efforts in Little Rock. In 2014, he was inducted into the National Association of Black Journalists Hall of Fame.

Last chance to order merchandise from the 70th anniversary commemoration events through emmett-till.myshopify.com closing this month. Place your orders by Feb. 28!
Check out the T-shirts, tote bags, and tumblers we have in stock. All proceeds support our organization. Thank you for your support.

"Black history is American history. Black History Month offers an opportunity to reflect on the people and events that have shaped our nation—and to recommit to telling those stories with honesty and care." - Patrick Weems, Executive Director, Emmett Till Interpretive Center

Simeon Booker was instrumental in bringing the Till tragedy to national attention through his award-winning journalism. He devoted two chapters of his 2013 book, Shocking the Conscience, to the Till story.

Emmett Till & Mamie Till-Mobley: Let the World See now open at Minnetrista Museum & Gardens in Muncie, Indiana January 24 to April 12, 2026 Visit minnetrista.net to plan your visit!

Our award-winning traveling exhibit, Emmett Till & Mamie Till-Mobley: Let the World See, has officially opened at Minnetrista Museum & Gardens in Muncie, Indiana! The final date to visit is April 12. Visit minnetrista.net to plan your visit!

Quotation from James Baldwin: "Not everything that is faced can be changed; but nothing can be changed until it is faced." Background image of library stacks.

Black history is American history. Black History Month offers an opportunity to reflect on the people and events that have shaped our nation—and to recommit to telling those stories with honesty and care. The Emmett Till Interpretive Center exists to steward one of these essential histories.

The Emmett Till Interpretive Center and the Till National Monument remain closed. We expect to reopen on Tuesday, Feb. 3.

​The Emmett Till Interpretive Center and the Till National Monument are currently without power, and conditions in Sumner are dangerous. ETIC and the Monument will be closed until power is restored. We will announce when operations resume on our social media channels.

The Emmett Till Interpretive Center and Till National Monument will be closed on Saturday, Jan. 24th, due to the expected severe weather conditions.

​Hours for the Emmett Till Interpretive Center may differ from normal operations on Saturday, January 24, on account of the impending winter storm. Be safe out there!

A video by Hanson Hosein features ETIC’s Patrick Weems, Jessie Jaynes, and Willie Williams and shows “how a small town in the Deep South chooses to reconcile with its past is a harbinger for whether a nation can rediscover common cause for the sake of its future.” Watch the film at bit.ly/49nLkor.

Starting on January 24th, the award-winning exhibit, Emmett Till & Mamie Till-Mobley: Let the World See, will visit the Minnetrista Museum & Gardens in Indiana. The exhibit, designed for ages 10 and up, tells the stories of Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley and the work to preserve their legacies.

Please join us for a community baby shower for new and expecting parents. Saturday, January 10 at 11 AM. Bayou Bend Country Club, 1985 Webb-Sumner Road, Sumner, MS, 38957. For more information, call 662-520-3540 or e-mail tallahatchierising@gmail.com or jessie@emmett-till.org. Sponsored by Delta Bloom, Emmett Till Interpretive Center, Tallahatchie Rising.

Join us at 1985 Webb-Sumner Road in Sumner this Saturday at 11 AM for the community baby shower where new and expecting parents can get diapers and baby supplies. Donations are welcome. Hosted in partnership with Delta Bloom and Tallahatchie Rising.

In 2025 we asked for your support of our 70 for 70 campaign. Thanks to your generosity, we exceeded our goal. We are deeply grateful. Your contributions allow us to continue lifting up the stories of Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley so that we may all learn from the past and build a better future.

We are asking HBCUs to show join our College Collective campaign. Participating institutions will receive recognition and be entered into a drawing to bring Wright Thompson, bestselling author of The Barn, to campus. Learn more at www.emmett-till.org/college-collective.

We are about three-quarters of the way to our $50,000 goal for the end-of-year 70 for 70 campaign. There is still time to join us and help us reach our goal! Donate before it is too late at www.emmett-till.org/70for70.

Happy New Year from the ETIC Team! We appreciate all of your support, especially those who gave to our year-end campaign. There is still time to be a part of the legacy at www.emmett-till.org/70for70.