White nationalists were in for a surprise after setting off security alarms while attempting to film a racist propaganda video near Emmett Till’s Memorial.
What We Know:
- Emmett Till was killed in the 1950s at just 14-years-old because of racism and hatred. Two white men kidnapped and tortured the young boy before lynching him. The Mississippi Memorial was built after the discovery of Emmett Till’s dismembered and bruised body near the Tallahatchie River.
- For many years, white supremacists stole and vandalized the memorial sign, which has been restored multiple times. After the last act of vandalism and theft, the newest memorial was made bullet proof with an alarm system and security cameras.
- The cameras captured a group of white men from the League of the South, a white supremacist group, filming racist propaganda videos. The men are visibly holding both a southern nationalist flag and a Mississippi flag on the surveillance footage.
- In the audio captured, you can hear one of the men saying “We are here at the Emmett Till monument that represents the civil rights movement for blacks. What we want to know is, where are all of the white people?”
- Luckily, their heinous act came to a halt after they set the security alarm off. All the men fled the scene and ran to their cars once the sound of the alarms ringing startled them.
- Because of their actions, donations are increasing to help preserve Emmett Till’s Memorial. According to Patrick Weems, executive director at the Emmett Till Memorial Commission the organization has received over $10,000 in donation after the recent incident which will contribute to the Emmett Till Memory Project.
Despite Carolyn Donham admitting to lying in 2008 about her claims against Emmett Till, which ultimately contributed to his death, people still seem to hold hate in their hearts. Emmett Till was an innocent child who deserved a chance at life. It is because of Emmett Till that there was a spark in the Civil Rights Movement and his legacy deserves respect.
