For those of you who don’t know, Emmett Till was a 14-year-old African- American boy who was beaten to death in Mississippi by two Caucasian men after whistling to a lady earlier on the day. The two men dragged him out of his bed during the night, beat and shot him in the head, then threw him into a river. His mother, Mamie Till was an activist and fought justice for her son. For his funeral, she wanted his body exposed so that people worldwide could see what resulted because of a whistle.The two men who were charged were trialed in an all White court; a white judge and white jury. Because the charges were acquitted against the men, people began protesting that the court was bias to the men due to their race.
This documentary is based on letters from his mother during and after the trial as well as newspapers and other primary sources. I first discovered this documentary during Spring Break through a friend who recommended that I watch it for English class which is based on the theme of race and justice. i do recommend that you watch this documentary whenever you can because it was a real eye opener to see how even in the most obvious cases where crimes were committed, justice is not easily served.
