Crime & Law
‘Keep His Name Alive’: Supporters Hold Memorial to Commemorate 70th Anniversary of Emmett Till’s Murder
A memorial was held on Aug. 28, 2025, at Burr Oak Cemetery in south suburban Alsip to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Emmett Till’s murder. (WTTW News)
Community leaders, supporters and family members held a memorial Thursday at the burial place of Emmett Till and his mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, at Burr Oak Cemetery in south suburban Alsip to commemorate the 70th anniversary of Till’s murder.
“His story remains a painful reminder of the deep injustices faced by Black Americans both then and now,” said Tammy Gibson, co-chair of Friends of Burr Oak Cemetery. “But it’s also a testament to the power of truth, resistance and the enduring call for justice.”
Till, a Black teenager from Chicago, was abducted, tortured and killed in 1955 after being accused of making sexual advances toward a White woman while visiting family in Mississippi. Till was 14 years old.
Till-Mobley’s insistence of an open casket, in addition to Jet magazine’s decision to publish photos of Till’s mutilated body, helped propel the Civil Rights Movement. Till-Mobley died in 2003.
“Mamie Till-Mobley made sure that this country was exposed for its inhumanity,” community leader Cheryl Gathings said during the memorial. “And she didn’t stop there. … She went out on speaking engagements. She fought for justice and because of her faith, her courage and her strength, let us be inspired today.”
Friends of Burr Oak Cemetery has submitted an application with the Illinois Historic Preservation Division to have the resting place of Till and Till-Mobley listed on the National Register of Historic Places; an October hearing is scheduled in Springfield, according to Ed Boone, chairperson of Friends of Burr Oak Cemetery.
Last month, community members and elected leaders gathered at Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ in Bronzeville, the location of Till’s funeral, to commemorate the life of Till on what would’ve been his 84th birthday. The church was designated as a national monument in 2023 and is undergoing restoration work.
The Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument includes sites in Illinois and Mississippi. Along with the Roberts Temple Church in Chicago, the other sites include Graball Landing in Mississippi, where Till’s body was pulled from the Tallahatchie River, and the Tallahatchie County Second District Courthouse in Sumner, Mississippi, where Till’s White killers were tried and acquitted by an all-White jury.
“Let the world see what they’ve done to my child,” Till’s cousin Ollie Gordon said Thursday in reference to Till-Mobley’s decision to hold an open-casket funeral. “But not only to her child, there was many before, and many after, and that’s why we continue every day to strive and to fight, to keep his name alive. Say Emmett Till to the day your breath is gone. We will not let them erase our history. We will continue to fight.”
Contact Eunice Alpasan: [email protected]
