American rights activist: Mamie Till-Mobley in Mississippi in September 1955. Her teenage son Emmett Till was kidnapped and murdered after he allegedly whistled at a white woman. Photo: Bettmann Archive/Getty Images
‘Southern trees bear strange fruit/ Blood on the leaves and blood at the roots/ Black bodies swinging in the Southern breeze/ Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees,” sang jazz and swing great Billie Holiday in the song Strange Fruit in 1939.
Emmett Louis Till was born on 25 July 1941 in the American city of Chicago, to Mamie Till-Mobley and Louis Till. They had a tumultuous marriage, however never divorced.
When Emmett was about three years old, his mother and father would have a domestic dispute that would lead to a restraining order against Louis.
It was at this time Louis was given an ultimatum by a police officer — either he served in the army during World War II or he went to jail. Louis chose to join the army.
He was stationed in Italy during the war, where he was accused of raping two women and killing one. He was sentenced to death by hanging. His execution would take place on 2 July 1945, weeks before Emmett Till turned four.
The circumstances of Louis’ death would not be made clear to the Till family until a second trial was held after Emmett’s death. Before then, Till-Mobley had been told he died due to “wilful misconduct”.
Emmett was tied to his father by a ring that had his initials, LT, on it. He would spend the remainder of his life with his mother.
Mamie spoke about how Emmett would take care of the house while she made money for them. He grew up faster than most children because he understood that it would just be him and his mother.
In 1955, 14-year-old Emmett went to Mississippi to visit family members. While on the trip, he wrote to his mother often.
One day in August, he and his cousins went to a grocery store to buy some food. It was here that the accusations against Emmett started.
Carolyn Bryant, the wife of the owner of the grocery store, would accuse him of touching, flirting with and whistling at her.
It was these accusations that led to the torture and murder of Emmett on 28 August 1955, just over 10 years after the death of his father.
The new TV series Let The World See is about this unjust murder, the impact of Emmett’s death and the bravery of his mother.
This three-part Disney+ docuseries follows Emmett’s story from birth to his murder and the contentious trials that followed it.
Till’s death was one of the catalysts of the Civil Rights movement. Activist Rosa Parks said about sitting at the front of the bus, “I thought of Emmett Till and I couldn’t go back.”
Till’s story is heart-breaking and crucial for all to know. Although we are not American, our brothers and sisters in America have faced discrimination, like ours, and continue to fight like we do.
The song Strange Fruit is about the lynching of black people in the Southern states of America, under Jim Crow law. It was written and composed by a white American communist and teacher, Abel Meeropol, under the pseudonym Lewis Allen and was performed by Holiday.
The song was not included in the series, however, I found its message fits when we consider the reality of being black, especially in America.
To this day, African Americans are being unjustly killed.
In 2020, the world would be thrown into outrage when George Floyd was killed by a police officer. The officer kneeled on Floyd’s neck while he screamed, “I can’t breathe!”
Later that year, Breonna Taylor was killed in an unlawful raid on her apartment. Till’s death was 68 years ago, and yet black people are still fighting to survive.
This story leads me to think about how apartheid lingers here in South Africa. Spatial segregation and dysfunctional service delivery in townships and informal settlements are evidence of apartheid’s legacy.
The state of Mississippi tried to cover up Till’s murder. Till-Mobley not only fought to get her son’s body back but she also made it a point to let the world see what they had done to her son, and how they mauled him, because he was black. Till-Mobley advocated for her son, for black people and justice.
Had Till not been killed, this year he would’ve been 82 years old. His life was unjustly taken before it began. To put this into further perspective, Till was only five years older than Steve Biko, the anti-apartheid activist, who was born on 18 December 1946.
Biko would meet a similar fate when he was killed by security police officers in 1977 at the age of 30.
Till’s story is one to keep in mind. He is not the first, and is unlikely to be the last, black person to meet this fate. It is also important to consider and celebrate the legacy of Till-Mobley.
No mother wants to bury their son. Her child was removed from her and falsely accused of sexual assault. Through all of this, she kept her head high and spent the rest of her life rallying for the rights of black people.
Till-Mobley epitomises what it means to be a black woman, however, she shouldn’t have gone through what she went through.
Everyone should watch this docuseries at least once. It’s crucial to know and hear this story.
May we never forget their names.