[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 163 (2017), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 12871]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                         TRIBUTE TO EMMETT TILL

                                  _____
                                 

                        HON. BENNIE G. THOMPSON

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, September 5, 2017

  Mr. THOMPSON of Mississippi. Mr. Speaker, sixty-two years ago, on 
August 28, 1955, in Money, Mississippi, a young African-American child 
by the name of Emmett Till was murdered while visiting from Chicago. 
Till's life was taken from him after a white woman alleged he whistled 
at her. Following her claim, the woman's husband and brother found Till 
and assassinated him. The two men took Till from the home of his great 
uncle and shortly after, his body was found mutilated and disfigured. 
Yet, the murderers of Emmett Till were found not guilty by an all-white 
jury. Recently, the allegations against Till have been found to be 
untrue. The accuser herself recanted her accusations in July of this 
year. Six decades later, she finally admits that she lied while under 
oath about Till's actions on the day she alleged he made advances 
toward her outside of a grocery store.
  Today, we also mourn the death of Simeon Wright, Emmett's cousin, and 
one of the last people to see Till before he was abducted and murdered. 
The story of Emmett Till is a blunt reminder of racial inequality, as 
well as the inequality in our justice system in which we must continue 
to combat. As we continue the fight to overcome racial injustice, white 
supremacy and police brutality, let us do so by honoring the legacy of 
Emmett Till and many other African-Americans in Mississippi and 
throughout this country who have suffered from racial discrimination.

                          ____________________