News

Emmett Till Site to Be Preserved as a Sacred Memorial

Clay Cane
November 26, 2025

FILE - This undated file photo shows Emmett Till, a 14-year-old black Chicago boy, whose body was found in the Tallahatchie River near the Delta community of Money, Miss., on Aug. 31, 1955. The Senate has passed a bill to award posthumously the Congressional Gold Medal to Emmett Till, the Chicago teenager murdered by white supremacists in the 1950s, and his mother Mamie Till-Mobley. She insisted on an open casket funeral to demonstrate the brutality of his killing. (AP Photo, File)

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(AURN News) — The long-hidden barn in the Mississippi Delta where 14-year-old Emmett Till was tortured and killed in 1955 will be preserved as a “sacred site,” according to Mississippi Today. The Emmett Till Interpretive Center announced that it purchased the barn after receiving a $1.5 million gift from television producer Shonda Rhimes, who said she wanted to ensure Till’s story is never forgotten.
Historians note that the barn was deliberately erased from public memory by the men involved in Till’s murder. Till was abducted on Aug. 28, 1955, by J.W. Milam, Roy Bryant and others before being brutally beaten and killed inside the structure.

The Emmett Till Interpretive Center says preserving the barn is an act of truth-telling at a time when history is increasingly under attack. By Till’s 75th anniversary in 2030, the site is expected to open as part of a broader memorial dedicated to remembrance, healing and democracy.

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Clay Cane is an award-winning journalist, writer, radio host, and political commentator. A graduate of Rutgers University with a degree in African-American Studies, his work on race, culture, and politics have appeared in national publications, including the Washington Post, CNN, and The Grio. Clay is a regular political commentator on MSNBC. Twitter: @claycane