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Reflections on Emmett Till
By Goodman staff members and writers from the Neighborhood Writing Alliance
Click here to download a manuscript.
On August 20, 1955, Mamie Till kissed her 14-year-old son Emmett goodbye at the 63rd Street station on the South Side of Chicago. He boarded a train bound for Money, Mississippi, and a summer visit with his relatives. Eleven days later, he was dead.
The world took notice when Emmett’s body—brutally beaten and weighted down with a cotton gin fan—was pulled from the Tallahatchie River. His kidnapping and torture, and the acquittal and subsequent confession of his murderers, enraged the nation and lit the spark that would become a major movement for civil rights and social justice for African Americans. But nowhere did the murder have as much impact as it did here in Emmett’s hometown of Chicago. So we asked writers from across the city to contribute their thoughts and memories of that turbulent time.
The essays are the work of Goodman staff members and writers from the Neighborhood Writing Alliance. The Alliance leads workshops in libraries, social service agencies and community centers across the city and publishes the Journal of Ordinary Thought (JOT). Founded in 1991 by Hal Adams on the belief that every person is a philosopher, JOT is dedicated to bringing out the unheard voices and stories of Chicago. Many of the writers in JOT groups are marginalized from mainstream literary circles because of class, race or physical isolation. JOT believes that encouraging personal expression through writing fosters creativity, change and empowerment.
It is our hope that these essays will inspire you to reflect on issues in your own lives and communities, because each of you has a voice that should be heard. We invite you to share your own “Emmett Till” experience by answering the question below, which will be posted on our website here. Our hope is to create a forum for the expression of personal values that can be shared with all.
Question: How can I, as an individual, help keep the spirit of Emmett Till alive? Please e-mail your response to EmmettTill@GoodmanTheatre.org.
Click here to download the complete manuscript.