In 1955, after Emmett Till is murdered in a brutal lynching, his mother vows to expose the racism behind the attack while working to have those involved brought to justice.
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♪ Sincerely ♪
♪ Oh, yes, sincerely ♪
♪ 'Cause I love you so dearly ♪
♪ Please say you'll be mine ♪
♪ Sincerely ♪
♪ Oh, you know ♪
♪ How I love you ♪
♪ I'll do anything for you ♪
♪ Please say you'll be mine ♪
♪ Oh, Lord Won't you tell me ♪
♪ Why I love that girlie so ♪
Are you looking for something?
No, I'm just doing
a little shopping.
We also have shoes
in the basem*nt.
Do your other customers
know that too?
Mama.
Which one do you like better?
Pardon me.
I think I like this one.
Will you really need a wallet
while you're down there?
Oh, Mama. Please?
Okay. Fine.
Let's just go pay for
it and go home now.
Sing out.
♪ I love Bosco ♪
♪ It's rich and chocolaty ♪
♪ Chocolate-flavored Bosco
Is mighty good for me ♪
♪ Mama puts it in my
milk for extra energy ♪
♪ Bosco gives me iron
and sunshine vitamin D ♪
♪ Oh, I love Bosco
That's the drink for me ♪
Whoa! My man!
You did that.
You didn't stutter,
not one time.
Now, Bo, you know
it's time for you to go to bed.
Aw...
You know you got a
big day tomorrow.
Come on. Give Grandma a hug.
I'll see you when you get back.
Bring it in.
Good night, Mr. G.
All right.
Oh.
You two don't get married
before I get back.
Can't get married
without my best man.
Good night.
What? Is it my bedtime too?
Could be.
Good night.
I'll call you after
Bo gets on the train.
Mrs. Spearman.
She'll see you tomorrow.
- All right. Good night.
- Good night.
What's wrong, Mamie?
We've never been
apart this long.
He's just going to
see his cousins.
It's not a bad thing for him
to know where he come from.
Well, Chicago is all
he needs to know.
I don't want him seeing himself
the way those people
are seen down there.
Those people like me?
Even you left Mississippi, Mama.
Mamie, Bo is growing up.
You gonna have to let him go.
All right, I know that face.
That is the face of
"Mama, mind your
business, and go home."
Where's my pocket book?
Mm-hmm. Right here.
Oh, there it is.
You need to get
you some rest too.
- I will.
- Come on, baby.
- I'll call you tomorrow.
- All right.
- Good night, Mama.
- Good night, darlin'.
A delightful day
here in our town of Chicago
and I presume that
you're, sort of,
munching on Wrigley's Spearmint,
and you're all relaxed,
and pleasantly situated
wherever you are.
The sun's probably shining
in your heart and your town too.
♪ There was a guy who had
some brand new tricks ♪
♪ Played his horn with
some crazy licks ♪
♪ The thing that made
him such a flop ♪
♪ Was he beeped ♪
♪ When he should've... bopped ♪
♪ That same old guy jumped
right up on the stand ♪
♪ But... But he couldn't
seem to dig the band ♪
♪ Thought he was the
cream of the crop but ♪
♪ He beeped when he
should have bopped ♪
I got this ready for you.
♪ All the cats would
gather around ♪
♪ To see what he was
tryin' to prove ♪
♪ But anyone could
plainly see ♪
♪ He was draggin' them
out of the groove ♪
♪ At last the leader
turned around and said ♪
♪ Listen, Pops, you
had better stop ♪
♪ Oh, there you go
You did it again ♪
♪ You just beeped when
you should've bopped ♪
All right, now, you're
gonna miss your train.
Bo, when you get down there...
Oh, not again, Mama.
I've already been
to Mississippi.
Only one time before,
and you started a fight
with another little boy.
He was picking on me.
You're in the right to
stand up for yourself,
but that's not what
I'm talking about.
Well, they have a
different set of rules
for Negroes down there.
Are you listening?
Yes.
You have to be extra
careful with White people.
You can't risk looking
at them the wrong way.
I know.
Bo.
Be small down there.
Like this?
Instead of your father's ring,
how about you wear the cufflinks
we got you last Christmas?
They'll look so handsome on you.
No, Mama.
I wanna wear the ring.
Thank you.
Go on downstairs.
I need to finish
getting ready myself.
Ah, morning, Mamie!
Morning, Preacher.
Good morning, Wheeler.
Hi, Miss Mamie. Hi, Bo.
You're leaving Chicago too soon.
You were only here a few days.
I didn't need no
more days than that.
I got to see some
family, a few friends.
Maybe we get you to come down...
- see us.
- All aboard!
I like it just fine
out here, Preacher.
All right, now.
Bo, stay close to your cousins.
Preacher, you and Aunty Lizzie
make sure Bo calls and
writes every chance he gets.
I need to know he's okay.
Don't worry.
Me, Lizzie, and the boys
will have a stern eye on him.
Goodbye, Mamie.
All right, now. Come on, Bobo.
Buh-bye, Mama.
Oh, Bo! You didn't
kiss me goodbye.
Mama. I gotta go.
Listen to Preacher.
Stay with your
cousins at all times.
Be extra careful.
I already know.
You know what?
I won't need to keep
the time on my vacation.
Wind it every day.
Last call! Train's leaving!
Buh-bye, Mama.
Come on, Bobo. Aight, Mamie.
Time to move now.
Now,
all you gotta do is pinch
the bract right here,
so you don't get
your fingertips...
Hey, look at the
size of that bird.
Whoa!
Where'd you get that ring?
Oh, it was my daddy's.
He died a hero in the war.
Well, let me try it on.
Um, maybe later.
All right.
- Bo?
- Is he all right?
Bobo!
Come on.
Roar!
From the depths of
an ancient tomb,
echoes a sound that
shakes the world.
Meet the mummy, Simmy!
Stop!
You gonna get us in trouble.
Or better yet, fired. I'm
done picking these fields.
What do y'all do with
all this cotton anyway?
We sell it.
Mr. Frederick, who own
the land, take his share.
I go to market with our haul.
- Sounds pretty square.
- Hmm.
Pa, you gonna let him
sass you that way?
What way?
The boy doesn't know where
his clothes come from.
Nah.
I take it back, Bobo.
Stay off the farm.
City boy won't even know
how he found a whuppin'.
Yes, he is.
Damn near pass out.
Come on, sit down.
Sit down, come on.
Hey, young boy.
How you doin'
there, young fella?
Come on, learn somethin'.
Well, I'm about
raised from the dead
by all this excitement.
Pay attention here,
you gonna let us
learn you something.
I'll make damn sure.
I'mma do what I do.
Thank you, ma'am.
You look like a movie star.
What?
Where's Bobo?
He's in there.
Simmy. See to Bobo
while he's inside.
See?
Come on.
Bye!
Buh-bye!
- Come on, let's go!
- Yeah?
She getting her gun. She
getting her gun, y'all.
Come on! Move!
- Get up, now! Come on!
- Move!
Move! She goin' to
get a gun, y'all!
- Get in!
- Just lay low.
Come on, Mau!
Why aren't you at work?
Is everything okay?
That trip we planned
to take Bo on?
Let's go now.
You wanna go right now?
You said you weren't
feeling that well.
I was just missing Bo.
I'm still missing Bo.
We have never been
apart this long,
and he's gonna be
gone another week.
I need to keep doing things
to take my mind off
of this feelin'.
Okay.
I can't go right now, but, uh,
we'll try in a few days.
Promise me we'll go on the trip?
Of course.
I'm trying not to act so silly!
Better watch yourself.
I don't know, 'cause
when he looks at me,
I just lose my mind!
Oh! But just be yourself.
Okay. I'll try. It's
gonna be all right.
Oh! Nice try.
It's a high-speed
competition, huh?
They call you city
boy, or somethin'?
Think you so damn funny, huh?
Why you whistle like that?
Look, it's been
three days, okay?
And we haven't
heard nothin' more
about what I did in Money.
That's 'cause no one knows
your face 'round here.
That don't mean they
not in one of 'em cars
looking for us.
Look, I said I was sorry.
We gotta tell Pappa.
We all agreed we
wouldn't say anything.
He'll make Bobo go home.
So what?
You don't see what's been
going on around here?
They killin' Negroes
for doing way less than
what you did in Money.
You ain't no White man,
Bobo. You one of us!
Hey, leave him alone, Maurice.
Mrs. Bryant must've
kept it to herself.
No one has to know.
Willie Mae, Ollie,
I swear you two are
losing on purpose.
Yeah, well, you must have
all the luck tonight, Mamie.
Mm-hmm.
Now, we've been here all night,
and you still haven't told
us what's bothering you.
I'm fine.
I got a letter today
from Aunty Lizzie.
She said Bo is really happy.
That's all I needed to hear.
Mm.
- That's real good, Mamie.
- -Mm-hmm.
My boy, Curtis, just made
it down to Mississippi.
I already told Uncle,
"Make sure he
see Bo tomorrow."
Bo would like that.
Yeah.
It'd be nice for him to
have another friend...
- from the city there with him.
- -Mm-hmm.
Oh, he just doesn't understand
how different things
are down there.
Yeah.
Aunty Lizzie said Bo's
been working the fields.
Oh!
I can't imagine
Bo in the hot sun
all day pulling some cotton.
No.
But Aunty Lizzie said I raised
one nice, hardworking boy.
- That's my Bo.
- Yes.
Can't believe he's
been gone a week.
Gene and I wanna
take a trip soon,
but I really wanna go
down to Mississippi
and bring my son home.
If Bo could just
get his feet back
onto the Chicago soil,
he'd be one happy kid.
I... I don't know
why I said that.
Looks like your
little winning streak
is over, Mamie.
Well, look at that.
You wanna play one more hand?
Sure.
But you deal this time.
Absolutely. You
still gonna lose.
These cards, girl.
A grand jury has declined
to indict the suspect
for the murder of Reverend
George Washington Lee,
a Mississippi Negro man
killed while driving his car.
Lee lead the Belzoni,
Mississippi NAACP
in his efforts to register
hundreds of Negroes
to vote for the first time.
Pappa, you and
Mama ain't asleep?
Mm.
How can we sleep when
y'all ain't home yet?
What'd you boys
get into tonight?
Nothing much, Daddy.
Just taking Bobo around.
Mm.
All right. Night,
Ma. Night, Pa.
- Good night.
- Night night.
Good night.
Bobo!
We leaving early tomorrow
to mail that letter out
to your mama, you hear?
Okay. Good night.
Good night.
That was close.
After having registered
dozens of Negroes
to vote in the local
runoff election.
No charges have been made.
Preacher!
Preacher!
Who is it?
It's Mr. Bryant.
I wanna talk to
you about that boy.
Sir?
I want that boy
who did the talking
down in Money.
Talking, sir? What talking?
Open up this door, Preacher!
Bobo!
You better open up
this door, Preacher!
Bobo! Wake up!
Leave me alone.
Get up! Someone's come!
You know who I'm talking about!
So what?
They've come for you!
I don't know.
Who's come?
I don't know what
you mean, Mr. Bryant.
You got that boy from Chicago.
You that big mouth nigg*r?
Who are you?
Get your clothes on.
Mr. Bryant, you
ain't got to do this.
He just a young boy.
Better shut them eyes.
- Oh!
- Simmy!
You don't need no
goddamn socks, boy.
I... I don't wear
shoes without socks.
Don't talk back to them!
We just gonna
teach him a lesson.
Stay right here, Simmy!
- Please!
- Move!
- Don't take him!
- Move!
I'll whup him if he's
done something wrong!
We'll give you money.
Watch out.
We don't need no money!
Please!
The boy ain't got good sense.
He's gonna learn!
But, Mr. Bryant!
What'd you say to my brother?
All right. Get up.
Carolyn!
Is this the right nigg*r?
That's the one.
All right.
Get off me.
Shut up, boy! Shut up.
All right.
Look at me, boy!
Hold him down!
Watch it, now!
Shut your mouth!
Come on. Get up! Get up!
Hold him up!
Hello?
Get out of the way, Gene!
I gotta get to Money!
Money? Money? Mamie,
what's going on?
They took Bo!
- Who took Bo?
- I...
Preacher told me two men
came and got Bo last night.
I couldn't hear anything
else after that.
- I gotta find Bo!
- Mamie! Mamie! Mamie!
Mamie, let's go
inside, call your mama,
try and get in touch with
Preacher and Aunty Lizzie
for more information, okay?
Come on. Come on.
We give you all the glory, Lord.
- Glory to God.
- Yes.
Glory to God. Yes,
Lord. Glory to God.
- Yes.
- Mm-hmm.
He's going to bring
him back to you, baby.
Yes, ma'am.
Alma.
Thank you.
Mamie.
Alma.
You weren't going to tell me?
I called your wife.
No matter the differences
between me and your mother,
I'm still your father.
Mamie,
we're gonna find Bo.
- Mm.
- Sit down.
I brought your cousin
along to help us.
Do you remember
Rayfield? Rayfield Mooty.
Came by the house a
lot when you was a kid.
He works with some
powerful Negro people
who can help us find Bo.
It's been a long time, ma'am.
- Nice to see you again.
- Mm.
Mamie.
Oh. I'm sorry.
Thank you for
coming, Mr. Mooty.
I've, uh...
I've been in touch
with Mr. William Huff,
counsel for the NAACP
chapter here in Chicago.
He wants to meet with you
first thing tomorrow morning.
I've included the
address to his office.
Here.
He has political connections
throughout the state
of Mississippi.
And he's in regular
contact with Mayor Daley,
Congressman Dawson,
and Governor Stratton.
I do know the NAACP,
and it sounds like he
knows the right people
who can help me find Bo.
Well, I'll meet you
in Mr. Huff's office
tomorrow morning at 9:00 a.m.
- Thanks, Ray.
- Mm-hmm.
I will see you soon.
Hey.
♪ At last the leader
turned around and said ♪
♪ Listen, Pops, you
had better stop ♪
♪ Oh, there you go,
you did it again ♪
♪ You just beeped when
you should have bopped ♪
It's on your calendar,
and you have the meeting
right after that.
Morning!
Hi, John. How are you today?
Mr. Huff, this
is Mrs. Bradley.
Thank you for meeting
with us, Mr. Huff.
- And Mr. Mobley.
- Yes, thank you.
I have great respect
for your cousin.
His work with the United
Steelworkers has helped
to make it one of the
strongest Negro unions.
- I didn't know that.
- Mm-hmm.
Are you employed?
I work for the Air Force.
She's the only Negro
woman in the office.
Mrs. Bradley.
You two aren't married?
Um...
No.
Not yet, anyway.
Where's Emmett's father?
Louis Till died overseas
about 10 years ago.
Uh, during the war.
And Mr. Bradley?
You have a lot of
questions for me, Mr. Huff.
And none of them seem to have
anything to do with my son.
I've been briefed on your case.
Bo is not a case.
I've drafted two
telegrams to send.
One to Governor
White in Mississippi.
The other to Governor Stratton,
here in Illinois.
It's important they
know about Emmett.
We're currently
investigating the murders
of Lamar Smith and Reverend Lee.
They did a lot of work getting
Negroes registered to vote.
Because of what
happened to them,
the Negro press in Mississippi
started to write about
Emmett's kidnapping,
but it's not creating
enough pressure needed
to force them into
a state-wide search.
Now, as your counsel,
I'd like to utilize all of
the press here in Chicago.
It's more likely
to get picked up
by other cities that way.
You're gonna have to
talk to reporters,
speak in front of cameras.
So... we like to make sure
that the person who's telling
the story is in public favor.
It's better that I
ask you questions now
than some reporter
finding something later.
The reverend and Mr. Lee,
I heard they were killed right
before Bo got down there.
Mamie...
I know these Citizen Councils
are everywhere in Mississippi.
You think they had
a part in any of it?
When the message to White people
is to stop Negroes from
voting or advancing,
by any means short of violence,
it's only a matter of time
before someone doesn't
stop short of it.
Let's just focus on finding Bo.
Why do you call him "Bo"?
When I was carrying him,
my mama's friend
would bring him gifts
all the time, and say,
"Here's another one
for little Bobo."
After he was born,
it just stuck.
He was a perfect baby.
Born breech, and had his
share of problems, but...
he was a perfect baby.
Hi, we live across the street
and read about what
happened to Emmett.
Everybody in the neighborhood
knows that sweet little boy.
But maybe somebody
will read the paper,
and they'll know Bo's ours.
I don't care what
anyone thinks Bo did
or did not do in that store.
They took my child,
and I need him back.
Hello? Mr. Huff!
Yes, yes, yes. I'll get Mamie.
Sounds like he has good news.
Mr. Huff?
He wrote back?
The governor wants
to talk to Mr. Huff
about what happened to Bo.
Thank you.
Thank you for the
update, Mr. Huff.
Okay. I'll be in touch.
A reporter called me.
He didn't wanna
tell you himself.
Bo's body was found in a river.
Preacher just identified
him to the sheriff.
He... He recognized the
ring Bo was wearing.
I'm so sorry, Mamie.
He's...
He's dead.
This is a breaking
news bulletin.
We interrupt this broadcast
to report a breaking news story.
The body of Emmett Louis
Till has been found dead
in the Tallahatchie River
near Money, Mississippi.
Till, a Negro boy from
Chicago, was kidnapped
while visiting relatives
in Money, Mississippi.
Again, that breaking news.
The body of Emmett Louis Till
has been found in Mississippi.
We'll have details ahead...
and J.W. Milam
were already in police custody
after admitting
to the kidnapping,
but they now face
possible indictment
for the murder of Till.
We have proved by two
or three witnesses
that the body found
in Tallahatchie River
was that of Emmett Till.
We proved that the
body had the ring...
this lynching
that the state of
Mississippi has decided
to maintain this White supremacy
by murdering children.
Look, it was because
he was a boy,
that's why they went there.
They had to prove that
they were superior.
They had to prove it
by taking away a
14-year-old boy.
Mamie, you need
to eat something.
The killers of the boy
felt free to lynch him
because there is,
in the entire state...
no restraining
influence of decency.
Hate.
It's like a virus in the blood
of the Mississippians.
They can't help it.
That was Roy Wilkins...
- the executive
director of the NAACP...
You mind if I speak with Mamie?
Giving his reaction
to the recent killing
of 14-year-old Negro
boy, Emmett Till.
Burial preparations
by local sheriffs
have already started being made
in Tallahatchie
County, Mississippi,
where Till's body was found.
Mamie?
Negro leaders are calling
on local and federal officials
to investigate the murder,
and to indict J.W. Milam...
Uh...
- My sincere condolences...
- Stop.
I can't.
I need Bo's body sent back here.
I can't have him
buried in Mississippi.
Mississippi won't make
that deal with you.
Then make them.
I'm sure Mr. Huff
can get Mayor Daley
or the governor to
talk to somebody.
Those people in Mississippi
are trying to dump
Bo in the ground
like he's just another body.
He is my baby.
I need to see him.
I'll speak with Mr. Huff.
Thank you.
You know...
Mamie, you have the public's
attention right now.
And, uh,
it would be in a
politician's best interest
to help you during
an election year.
There's an opportunity in that.
Uh...
Some organizers and executive
members of the NAACP
have been speaking with
the justice department
about creating legislation
that would make lynching
a federal crime.
What happened to Reverend
Lee was a lynching.
Lamar Smith. A lynching.
- Emmett...
- I...
uh...
We have an opportunity
to use this moment to help
us pass this legislation.
Might even help you
get an indictment.
Maybe even a conviction.
I can't think about
that right now.
I just need Bo's
body sent back here.
Well, the public's paying
attention right now, Mamie.
See, this doesn't just
have to be about Emmett.
Mr. Mooty, my son is dead!
Make sure Mr. Huff
handles this today.
Yes, ma'am.
Rayfield's ready to take
us to the train station.
I, uh, got you a wheelchair.
You know, just in case.
I don't want you falling down.
Preacher called again.
He keeps trying to
apologize to you, Mamie.
Aunty Lizzie's coming up here.
He has to stay behind to
finish working the fields
and talk to the prosecutor.
I keep asking myself...
"Why is this happening?
"Why did he take
my child from me?
"What am I supposed
to do now?"
Yeah. I have to say
goodbye to Mama.
Mama.
I'm the one who told
him to go down there.
I wanted him to go down there.
I told him to go down.
I told him to go down there.
All right. Get that.
Oh, my God!
My boy!
My boy! My only child!
My only boy!
Oh, my Lord! Get
him out of that box!
Get him out of the box!
Get him out of the
box! He can't breathe!
He can't breathe. My Lord!
Oh, Lord, have mercy!
Help me!
Oh, my God!
Oh, Lord, have mercy!
Show me what you want me to do.
Oh, Lord, show me
what you want me to do
and make me able to do it!
My Lord!
I need to prepare you.
Remove the sheet.
Oh, God.
Everyone, leave us.
How long will it take you
to turn the body over to us?
Figure out the next step.
Talk to the church.
Gene, can you go
back to my place
and bring back
Emmett's black suit?
The one he wore last Christmas.
Mama can tell you
exactly where it is.
And make sure to
get my black dress
that Bo would approve of.
And his matching tie.
Emmett loved this suit.
It's how he'd like to be seen.
Seen?
Mamie, Bo's in no kind of
shape to be seen by anybody.
No, he's in just
the right shape.
The whole world has to see
what happened to my son.
Mrs. Bradley, can I at
least fix him up a bit?
Just to make him more...
No one's going to
believe what I just saw.
No.
They have to see
it for themselves.
Ms. Bradley, what
would you like to say
to the men who did this?
What's that smell?
That smell is my son's body.
He came home to me
reeking of racial hatred.
His face was bludgeoned.
His teeth are gone.
He was shot in the head.
And now I want America
to bear witness.
Come with me, please.
Right here, Ms. Bradley.
Ms. Bradley, right here.
Do you have a message
for the perpetrators?
Will there be a
service, Ms. Bradley?
Gene, please come be with me.
News of an open-casket funeral
for the slain
14-year-old Emmett Till
has spread throughout
the country.
Many people were in shock
over the brutal slaying
and couldn't believe
something like this
could happen to a child.
My heart goes out to
her. I'm a mother too.
It could be any one of us.
The right thing is to show
America, and the world,
exactly what happened.
We know the boy was killed,
but you're making a
freak show of his death.
I think she brave.
Can't we just grieve in peace?
This stuff ain't gonna
stop till we see it.
I support her.
It is my opinion
that the guilt begins
with Mrs. Bryant...
and I wanna see Mrs.
Bryant punished,
those two men punished,
and any other persons who
were in on this thing.
The pressure should start
from the president
of the United States,
all the way down to the township
of Money, Mississippi.
I won't rest until that happens,
even if I have to go to
Money, Mississippi myself.
Do you have any evidence
bearing on this case?
I do know that this is my son.
You're not just my Bo anymore.
Mamie...
Aunty Lizzie.
Simmy and Maurice stayed
back with their daddy.
It was probably too much.
I'm so sorry.
When those men came, I tried.
We all tried.
I ain't going back, Mamie.
I packed my stuff up,
and I'm staying here for good.
Preacher and the
boys will join me.
I can't look, Mamie.
We have to.
♪ When peace like a river ♪
I'm sorry, Ms. Mamie.
♪ Attendeth my way ♪
Bo... Bo.
♪ When sorrows like sea ♪
♪ Billows roll ♪
♪ Whatever my lot ♪
♪ Thou hast taught me to say ♪
♪ It is well ♪
♪ It is well ♪
♪ With my soul ♪
♪ It is well ♪
♪ It is well ♪
♪ With my soul ♪
♪ With my soul ♪
♪ It is well ♪
♪ It is well ♪
♪ With my soul ♪
It is well
It is well
With my soul
With my soul
It is well
It is well
With my soul
My child is dead,
and she is going to be fine.
Carolyn Bryant is
going to be fine.
You know, to get a
murder indictment
on two White men in
Mississippi is not easy.
You did that, Mamie.
Now...
Their defense...
is going to try to create doubt
about the body being Emmett's.
There's no body, there's
no murder conviction,
and Bryant and Milam will
only face kidnapping charges.
You know your child
better than anyone.
You saw the body soon after.
There is no testimony
like a mother's.
Aren't we going to
your mama's tonight?
I need to go to
Mississippi for the trial.
I can testify that it was
Bo's body found in the river.
When do you want us to go?
Gene, I have to go without you.
- What?
- Mr. Mooty has arranged for me to meet some people
- down there.
- If you're going to Mississippi,
- I'm going with you.
- Mr. Huff and Mr. Mooty
don't think that's a good idea,
- and I agree with them.
- I don't care what they think!
They keep telling us
what to do and who
you can talk to.
And I go along with it
because I lost Bo too.
I would do anything for him.
You tell me, Mamie.
How is risking your
life gonna help Bo?
This is what they're
writing about me down there.
They're making me out to
be some kind of jezebel.
Two reporters called to ask
about my ex-husbands
and about you.
Mr. Huff was right.
I'm on trial like the
people who killed Bo.
Jurors will be watching me,
and reading these stories
when they decide if the men
who murdered my son go free.
I have to protect my image
if it can help get
justice for Bo.
I should be going
with you, Mamie.
I need you to be there for me
in a different way right now.
You're not gonna
change your mind?
You know me well enough
to answer that
question for yourself.
Not since the
Tallahatchie River flooded
some 20 or 30 years ago
that the townspeople had more
to talk about than this trial.
I can't understand
how a civilized mother
could put a dead body of
her child on public display!
I think that this is
a result of the NAACP
trying to make something big...
out of just an ordinary
criminal affair in Mississippi.
You're not going.
Mamie, it's too dangerous
for you to go down to
Mississippi right now.
I heard the sheriffs
are passing along
Negro license plate numbers
to the Klan members.
Mr. Huff and Mr. Mooty
already have plans
for me to safely travel.
I'll fly to Memphis first.
And then, some
people from the NAACP
are going to drive
me to Clarksdale.
And then, their field
secretary will pick me up
and drive me to someone's house
in a place called Mound Bayou.
You want to go alone?
I'm trying to be strong for Bo.
What are you gonna
do down there?
Something you can't.
If my testimony can
help in any way,
I have to go.
I have to be there for my child.
And what about my child?
I'm goin' with ya.
I know this is not
what we agreed on,
but it's better for me
to go down there with her
than for her to be there alone.
You don't have to worry.
I'mma be there with you.
I promise.
I don't only need you
when I'm broken, Daddy.
I am goin' with you.
Thank you.
Mama, I know you don't agree...
No.
But I know you have to do it.
♪ One a-these mornings ♪
♪ Soon one morning ♪
♪ I'm gonna lay down my cross ♪
♪ Get me a crown ♪
Mound Bayou has been
here for over 70 years.
It's a all-Negro town.
We run all our own businesses
and all our own schools.
All the Negroes
attending the trial
will be staying here.
This is the safest
place for 'em.
Dr. Howard created
the Regional Council
for Negro Leadership
here in Mound Bayou.
He's also the chief surgeon
at the Taborian Hospital.
He built a lot of
businesses here,
including a really successful
life insurance company.
That's how I met him.
He gave me my first job.
♪ Going home one day
and tell my story ♪
♪ I've been coming over
hills and mountain ♪
♪ Gonna drink from the
Christian fountain ♪
♪ Your know all of God's sons
and daughters that morning ♪
♪ Will drink that
ole healing water ♪
♪ And we gonna live... ♪
Thank you for driving
us, Mr. Evers.
Please, ma'am, call me Medgar.
Mrs. Bradley?
Those pictures of your
son in the magazine...
changed people's lives.
My wife, she's
here with our son.
And we're both
helping with some of
the investigation
work for the trial.
Now, I promise you...
we are doing everything we can
to get some sort of
justice for Emmett Till.
We call Dr. Howard's house
"The Black Command Center."
Reporters from all
the colored press
work out of here
during the trial.
They also help with some of
the investigation
work for the trial.
And what kind of investigation
y'all are gonna be doing?
We're looking for witnesses
who'll be brave enough
to come to trial.
- Right here.
- Mm-hmm. Mm-hmm.
This here is, uh, Ms. Murdock.
Ms. Bradley.
Ms. Turner. Mr. Booker.
Pleased to meet you, ma'am.
This here is my son, Darrell.
And my wife, Myrlie.
It's an honor to meet
you, Mrs. Bradley.
Mr. Carthan.
Hey, you don't mind?
Over here is Amzie Moore.
He's the president
of the Regional Council
for Negro Leadership.
And I am Dr. Theodore Howard.
Welcome to Mound
Bayou, Mrs. Bradley.
- Mr. Carthan.
- Sir.
Let me just say
that we are so...
honored to have
you here with us.
Thank you.
Thank you.
Now, what are you drinking?
Not a lot of people would use
their money the way you do.
Well, we need money
for the freedom fight
that we're in now.
We need money...
to protect Negroes who are...
simply trying to exercise
their constitutional
right to vote,
to speak at trial.
I had a really good
life in Chicago
before they took Bo from me.
I never thought
much about the world
outside of just me and Bo,
my job, my family, my friends.
Mrs. Bradley, have
you thought about, um,
what you're going to
do after the trial?
After the trial?
I'm sure you've considered
continuing your
work with the NAACP.
Or with our Regional
Council, right here.
Your story... speaks to
the urgency of Negro rights
more than anything this
country has ever heard.
I've been sharing my story
because I want those two men
to pay for what they did.
And I do too.
But I do not believe that
justice will be rendered
by 12 jurors who
look exactly like
the two so-called
men who are on trial.
And our fight, and your story,
must continue and will not
end with one single verdict.
Mrs. Bradley.
That's the mother!
Come on, get out the way.
Mrs. Bradley,
why are you here?
- Ms. Bradley.
- Ms. Bradley!
Come on, say something!
- Will you testify?
- Come on!
- You gotta give us something.
- Mrs. Bradley.
Mamie?
It's all right, Daddy.
I am here to confirm...
What's wrong with you?
Let's get inside. Come on.
No.
How dare you?
It's all right, Mamie.
Go on!
Amzie.
Mrs. Bradley, I'd like
you to meet Ruby Hurley.
She's also a part of our team.
It's truly an honor to
meet you, Mrs. Bradley.
Thank you.
Thank you, it's a
pleasure to meet you.
My pleasure.
- We'll be with you, ma'am.
- Thank you.
- Right this way.
- Thank you.
- Thank you.
- You're welcome, of course.
Hello, nigg*rs!
I got about eight
seats down there
for you and your
nigg*r reporters.
Rest of you can stand.
You Mamie?
What's this?
That's a damn summons.
I thought you uppity
nigg*rs could read.
Mamie? Don't let
him get to you.
Come on, now.
Ah, there's James Hicks.
We can go and sit with him
and the other reporters.
Have you spoke with
the prosecution team?
Only once before, on the phone.
It was brief.
Hopefully, this won't take
too long. Get together later.
- Mr. Smith.
- Yes.
Mrs. Bradley.
Mamie.
- Hmm.
- Come on.
All rise!
The Honorable Judge
Curtis Swango presiding.
Please be seated.
There will be no pictures taken
during court proceedings.
Bailiff, have the jurors
come in and take a seat.
Also, get me a co*ke
sometime. All right?
Your Honor, the State
has just learned
of the existence
of another witness
to the murder of Emmett Till.
The State requests a recess
in order to gather the witness.
Objection, Your Honor!
Your Honor, this will only
delay proceedings. Come on.
Hmm.
Objection overruled.
It seems like a
reasonable request.
Thank you, Your Honor.
I'll give you till
tomorrow morning
to find your witness.
The court will have a recess.
We will resume at 9:00
a.m. tomorrow morning.
Court dismissed!
Medgar, take me to Money.
All right. Okay.
That's where it happened?
Yes, ma'am.
The shop's been closed
since the day of the arrest.
Most of the patrons
were Negroes.
Your mama tells me you're
all moving up north
after the trial.
Daddy says it's
not gonna be safe.
Thank you.
We're sorry, ma'am.
We're so sorry.
You all didn't know this
was going to happen.
Come here.
It's okay.
Hmm.
Where's your daddy?
You gonna sit?
I saw your boys.
Was probably hard
for them to see you.
You gonna sit?
Did you have a
shotgun in your house
the night they took Bo?
I've been wanting to explain
to you what happened.
You told me that part.
White men came knocking
- on my door, Mamie.
- I know that part.
They had a gun.
You have a gun!
How long did you stand
there doing nothing
while they took my child?
If I'd have shot them,
they would've
killed all of mine!
It'd be hunting season
for every Negro in Money!
We have to live here, Mamie.
Bobo was with my boys
when he went to talk
to some White woman.
You understand what
that mean down here?
Don't you dare blame Bo
for what happened to him!
I don't blame him!
I had to make a
choice that night.
In a moment, I had to choose.
And you chose yours over mine.
It wasn't just two White
men with a gun that night.
It was every White man who'd
rather see a Negro dead
than breathin' the
same air as him.
Every sheriff, every
judge in this town
was at my door that night.
I was facin' a lot more
than two men with a gun.
He was my only child.
I know.
That's why you're moving
after the trial...
because you're going to testify?
No Negro in Money has ever
spoken against a White man...
and lived.
That's the house.
If he runs, make sure
he doesn't get away.
Amzie, right here.
Hey! Not so loud.
You'll scare him off.
We told you to
leave Willie alone.
Let's have a
conversation inside.
He didn't see nothin'!
Come out or we're comin' in.
You gonna get the boy killed.
Hey! Hey!
Come on, come on!
We need to keep him here
just in case he runs off again.
I ain't gonna run.
I'll tell 'em what
I saw that night.
And what about
your grandparents?
Would you say that they heard
some sounds comin'
out the barn too?
No, no, I promised them I was
gonna keep them out of it.
We're gonna finance security
for your entire family
after they testify,
so don't you worry none, son.
All right?
His name is Willie Reed,
a field hand for
J.W.'s brother.
He's a witness who
lives on the farm
not too far from where he saw
J.W. and Roy Bryant
and several other
men take Emmett.
Now, Willie's family also
works for the Milams,
so they also heard a
lot of noise that night.
There were other men?
It pains me to have
to tell you this,
but there were some colored
men that were involved.
Colored men did this to my boy?
Well, they work for
Milam and Bryant,
and found out Bryant had
'em paid to skip town.
What...
I can fix that for you.
It means a lot,
what you're doing.
Thank you.
Thank you.
It's the right thing to do.
Go ahead and put these on.
It's difficult for
me to fall asleep
before Medgar gets home.
I've wanted to meet you.
What you did with
those photographs...
What you're doin'
now, it's, um...
It's nothing a mother
wouldn't do for her child.
Hmm.
How old's your son?
Two.
We almost didn't take
him and his sister
with us from Jackson, but I...
I'm trying to keep
the family together
as much as possible these days.
I'm sure you heard
about what happened
to our friends Lamar
Smith and Reverend Lee.
Yes, I have.
Medgar and I worked
closely with 'em.
We did good work.
We got a lot of Negroes
registered to vote
for the first time
in Mississippi,
and that created the biggest
targets on our backs.
I, um...
I believe in the work
we're doin' for our people.
I do.
But I don't want my children
to have to live in fear.
I have enough fear for all of us
every time I wait for
Medgar to get home.
Emmett just wanted
to go on vacation
and have fun with his cousins.
He never thought anything
would happen to him.
He knew how different
things were down here,
but I never raised him to
have any fear growing up.
I wanted him to be a boy.
And to not have his childhood
taken away from him.
But it happened anyway.
We do the best we can.
Do you know Mr. Bryant?
He owns the meat market.
Hmm.
Then you know
Mr. Milam, do ya?
Not by name.
But I know him.
How do you know him?
He showed up at my door,
standing there with a
flashlight in one hand
and a pistol in the other.
And what happened next?
He held my family at gunpoint.
Then he dragged my nephew
from my home and drove off.
Sambo!
And would you
Would you recognize Mr. Milam
were you to see him again?
Yes, sir.
I would.
There he is.
The State rests.
The witness can leave now.
The court will have a recess.
What did you think you heard?
I heard loud hollering and licks
comin' from that shed.
Sounded like a boy.
I saw, uh...
J.W. Milam.
Saw a green truck
with a white top.
As they drove off,
there was, uh. Two
White men in the cab
and three colored
men in the back.
They was all sitting
next to a body.
Are you sure that's
what you heard?
Yes, sir.
Huh. If that's what you heard,
why not yell out,
or call "Help"?
I...
I...
I couldn't.
No further questions.
You can leave now.
Did you certify
that the body found
was Emmett Till?
No, I did not.
I just said it was a dead body.
You couldn't even tell if
the body was White or Black.
Thank you, Sheriff Strider.
You are excused.
You want my honest opinion?
I think the boy's
mammy and the NAACP
plotted this whole thing.
Thank you, Sheriff Strider.
That boy's still
alive somewhere.
Mamie...
Did you have a son
who, in his lifetime,
was known as Emmett Till?
Yes, sir.
How old was he?
Fourteen years of age.
Is his father living today?
No, sir.
He died in service.
Oh. Uh, when your husband,
the father of Emmett
Till, was killed overseas,
were his belongings sent to you?
Yes, sir.
I now hand you
a ring that has engraved on it,
May 25th, 1943,
with the large initials L.T.
Was that among the items
that were sent to you?
Yes, sir.
And is that the ring
that Emmett came down
here to Mississippi with?
Yes, sir.
Mamie, I wish you would
state to the court,
and to the jury,
whether you could
identify the body
that you saw down there
in the funeral home
as that of your
son, Emmett Till.
I could.
It's hard to describe
what a mother knows.
Please.
The first thing I noticed
when I became a mother
was that my hands were busy.
All the time.
Rocking, carrying,
swaying, always full.
One hand for him,
and one hand for what he needed.
When it came time
to place him down
so he could make
his own way around,
I touched every inch of him.
Every bend.
My hand knew him
with my eyes closed.
Just like I'd know his laughter
in a crowded room.
It's the same thing when
you know all of someone.
I started by laying
my hands on a foot.
And then
found his knees.
I remembered him...
as my fingers
traced his hairline,
and bumped over the
crease of his eyelid.
He was spoiled and puffed,
but these were the same parts
of a boy I'd nurtured and loved.
Nothing and no one
could hide him from me.
A mother knows.
Your mother would know.
And I knew.
I knew this was my
boy. Emmett Till.
Beyond any doubt.
Thank you. Uh...
Thank you, Mrs. Bradley.
I believe that's all any of
us would ever need to hear.
Mamie?
Do you happen to remember
the date Emmett
Till's father died?
Yes, sir. July the 2nd, 1945.
Where was he when he died?
In Europe.
Did you have an insurance
policy on Emmett Till?
Um...
Yes, sir.
How much was it for?
I had a 10-cent
and 15-cent policy,
two weekly policies,
and they equaled $400.
$400?
Now, to whom were
those policies payable?
Uh, we object to
that, Your Honor.
Objection overruled.
The witness will
answer the question.
I was the beneficiary on one,
and my mother was on the other.
He ever cause
or get in any
trouble in Chicago?
No more than any other boy.
Did he attend a reform school?
What for?
No.
You've been quoted
in the colored press,
"I told him several times
before he left for Mississippi
"that he should
kneel in the street
"and beg for forgiveness
"should he ever insult
a White person."
Not those exact words.
Did you caution him not
to insult White women?
I referred to White
people in general.
Did you caution your son
how to conduct himself
and behave himself
while he was down
here in Mississippi?
Several times.
Several times! Do tell us how.
I will give you a
literal description
of what I told him.
How coming down here,
he would have to adapt himself
to a different way of life.
Be very careful
about how he spoke,
and to whom he spoke,
and to always remember to say,
"Yes, sir" and "No, ma'am."
I told him that if ever
an incident should arise
where there would be any trouble
of any kind with White people,
that if it got to the
point where he needed
to go down on his
knees before them,
well, I told him not
to hesitate to do so.
Like if he bumped into
somebody on the street
and they might get
belligerent or something.
Well, I told him to go
ahead and humble himself
so as not to get into
any trouble! But...
But what?
Well, I raised him
with love for 14 years.
My sudden warnings about hate
weren't going to get through.
I now show you
what purports to be
a photograph of your son.
This was taken in my home
two days after Christmas.
Now, tell the court and
the jury what this is.
This picture is of my son
after Mississippi sent
him back to Chicago, dead.
No further questions.
And for the prosecution?
State rests.
Court will have a recess.
They...
They killed my son again.
Hmm.
Will the jury please
retire to the jury room?
The testimony being
offered here today
of a prior incident
at the store in Money
is irrelevant.
Your Honor,
may we still continue
the testimony
on account of the record?
Uh, Your Honor...
Sit down.
Now, I see no harm
in letting Ms. Bryant
share her side of
things if she wants to.
Hell, everybody else has.
You think you can
handle that, dear?
Mrs. Bryant,
was anyone in the store with you
on Wednesday night, 24th
day of August, 1955?
I was alone.
But the children
were in the back.
In the living quarters.
And what time of day was it?
After dark.
Alone.
At nighttime with your children.
Well, you just tell the
court what happened next.
This nigg*r man
came into the store
and stood by the candy case.
And you?
I was behind the counter.
I asked the man what he wanted.
And then did you get
him the merchandise?
Yes.
And then what did you do?
I held out my hand
for the money.
Will you show the court
how you held your hand out?
Like this.
And did he give you the money?
No, he caught my hand.
Will you show the court
just how he grasped your hand?
And was that a strong
grip or a light grip
that he had when
he held your hand?
A strong grip.
Will you show the
court what you did?
How did you get loose?
I jerked it loose like this.
Now, just what did he say
when he grabbed your hand?
- "How about a date, baby?"
- Hmm.
Now, you freed yourself.
And what happened then?
I turned to the
back of the store.
And he went on his way?
No.
He came after me.
He caught me down by
the cash register.
Mrs. Bryant, can you
demonstrate for the court?
Yes.
All right, now.
Grabbed your hands, pinned
them behind your back?
Yes.
His right hand on
your right hip?
Here.
Just what did he say?
He said, "You needn't
be afraid of me.
"I've been with
White women before."
And what happened then?
Then another nigg*r
came in the door...
I'm ready to go.
You want me to come and get you
when they read a verdict?
No. I'm ready to leave
Mississippi. Now.
What about the verdict?
I know what the verdict is.
After deliberating
for about an hour,
the jury has just come
back with a verdict
of "not guilty."
Thus the defendants Milam
and Bryant are free men.
They celebrated their victory
laughing and smiling with
their wives at their side,
clearly happy...
Her story has changed the world.
Because she had the courage
to make it not just her own,
but all of ours.
Mamie, it is an honor to
share the stage with you.
To share this fight with you.
Yes, yes!
Please welcome Mrs.
Mamie Till-Bradley.
This is just the beginning.
I would like to
give honor to God,
who is the source of my strength
and the reason for my being.
I thank you, Mr. Mooty
and the NAACP,
for inviting me to
speak before you all
in Harlem, New York City.
Yes.
My son's brutalized
body meant nothing
to Mississippi's
criminal justice system.
And while they blamed
the victim, as usual,
the federal government
stood idly by.
If this country fails to protect
the Black body from hate,
America has yet to
meet her promise.
Amen!
Either freedom for
everyone, or freedom fails!
One month ago, I had a
nice apartment in Chicago.
I had a good job. I had a son.
When something happened to
the Negroes in the South,
I said, "Well, that's
their business. Not mine."
Now I know how wrong I was.
The lynching of my
son has shown me
that what happens to any of us,
anywhere in the world,
had better be the
business of us all.
I hear ya, sister!
That's right.
Tell it like it is!
I heard that!
Yes! Yes!
