Emmett Till was born in Chicago on July 25, 1941. He would have turned 84 years old today.
A bright, fun-loving child, Emmett overcame early challenges, including polio, to grow into a lively 14-year-old who loved telling jokes, playing baseball, riding bikes and fishing.
That summer, during a visit with relatives in Mississippi, Emmett was abducted and brutally murdered in August 1955 after being falsely accused of offending a white woman — an event that exposed America’s racial violence and helped ignite the Civil Rights Movement.
As we mark what would have been his 84th birthday, we remember a child whose short life cast a long and enduring shadow on America’s history.
Click play to listen to the AURN News report from Clay Cane. Follow @claycane & @aurnonline for more.
