Monumental Shift Praises Designation of Emmett Till & Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument

Today, July 25, marks the anniversary of Emmett Till’s birth in 1941. Emmett Till, the Black teenager from Chicago was abducted, tortured, and killed at the age of 14 after being accused of whistling at a white woman in Mississippi.

HECHO along with its Monumental SHIFT partners thank the Biden-Harris Administration for designating the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley National Monument as a step forward to not only acknowledge the importance of telling the full history of America, but also to prioritize the cultures and stories by which this country was built. This national monument spans across three sites in Illinois and Mississippi and protects the places that are central to the story of Till’s life, death, and the acquittal of his white killers, and honors his mother’s relentless activism for justice.

We created Monumental SHIFT to shift the traditional designation and maintenance of national monuments to center ethnically and racially diverse communities in the creation, conception, funding, and stewardship to honor the lands and places that are sacred to the members of our community. The Monumental SHIFT coalition applauds the leadership of the community, the Biden-Harris Administration and affirms the tenacity of Till’s mother for this monumental and momentous designation.