Universal Mother - 2019
Universal Mother is a portrait of the iconic Mamie Till. Her 14 year old son Emmett Till was abducted, brutally tortured and murdered after being accused of flirting with a white woman. Mamie Till made the strong and courageous decision to have an open casket of her son’s body which was a significant factor which helped fuel the Civil Rights Movement.
“It was almost as if people were looking at their own child there rather than a stranger they didn’t know. It was at that time that I knew Emmett was not just mine, he was a universal child.”
- Mamie Till
Mamie Till
Mamie Till was born 23 November 1921. On the 25th July, 1941 Mamie gave birth to her only child Emmett Till. She described the birth as difficult as it was a breech birth.
On the 28th August 1955, whilst 14 year old Emmett Till was on vacation visiting family in Money Mississippi, he was abducted, brutally tortured and murdered after being accused of flirting with a white woman.
Emmett’s body was found 3 days after the incident in a river where he had been tied to a 200 pound iron gin mill fan with barbed wire. He was unrecognisable and had to be identified by a silver ring he was wearing that had his father’s initials engraved.
Emmett’s body was quickly concealed and prepared for burial in Mississippi however Mamie demanded for the body of her son to be sent back home to her in Chicago. With the help of her local undertaker she was able to do this however every step was taken to ensure that Emmett’s body was not opened up to the public.
When Mamie saw her son for the first time she said that she felt like every bone in her body turned to steel. Regardless of this she had the strength to make the decision to have an open casket funeral. There was just no way she could describe what was in that box and she just wanted to the world to see.
Emmett’s body was viewed from the Friday evening until the day of his funeral on Tuesday 6th September around noon. 600,000 people are said to have passed by his body and approximately 1 out of 5 had to be assisted after fainting.
After the funeral two white men were taken to trial. The trial was in the county where Emmett’s body was found. Mamie travelled to Mississippi to attend the trial and testify. When word got out she was attending, Mamie received large amounts of hate mail and death threats.
The trial lasted for five days. The courtroom was filled to capacity with black attendees segregated from the white including any press. Jury members were allowed to drink beer on duty and many spectators wore handguns.
On September 23rd 1955 the all-white, all-male jury acquitted both defendants. One juror said it wouldn't have taken that long if they hadn't stopped to drink. Mamie and many other African-Americans had left the courtroom before the verdict was announced as they knew it would not be a justifying decision. The two defendants later confessed to Emmett’s murder and jurors admitted they knew the men were guilty.
Mamie Till’s strong and courageous decision to have an open casket of her son’s body was a significant factor which helped fuel the Civil Rights Movement. She continued to become an educator and activist helping children living in poverty and teaching in the public school system in Chicago. Mamie Till co-authored her memoir “Death of Innocence” which was published shortly after she passed away in 2003.