Truth and Lies: The Places That Tell – and Hide – the Story of Emmett Till

For years the sign that marks the site where 14-year-old Emmett Till’s body was discovered was riddled with bullet holes. Each time the sign was replaced, more bullet holes have appeared.

Last June Patrick Weems, executive director of the Emmett Till Interpretive Center, and historian Dave Tell participated in Widen the Circle’s Berlin Fellowship, which brings together German and American remembrance activists. They shared their successes and challenges, and also the important ways in which key places — a grocery store, a barn, a courtroom, the site where the body was found — have been used to both bring out the truth of what happened and cover it up. 

They also developed a plan to move forward, inspired by ideas from German students who are active in remembrance work in Berlin. 

Patrick, Dave, and Rev. Willie Williams, chair of the Emmett Till Interpretive Center, will discuss their inspiring efforts to bring forward the true story of Emmett Till and why that matters in efforts to counter racism and bigotry today. 

Truth and Lies: The Places That Tell – and Hide – the Story of Emmett Till

Tuesday, December 12, 2023

The story that most people know about Emmett Till’s murder was, in fact, a lie told by two of his killers and published in a national magazine in 1956. They had already been acquitted and couldn’t be retried, so they told the lie to help others who had been involved in the abduction and murder of Till to avoid prosecution. The lie was also convenient for a white community that didn’t want a wider scandal. 

Patrick Weems, executive director, and Rev. Willie Williams, chair of the Emmett Till Interpretive Center, talk with historian Dave Tell about efforts to preserve key sites, including a grocery story, a barn, and the riverside where Emmett’s body was found, in an effort to break the silence and bring out the real story of what happened. Weems and Tell both participated in Widen the Circle’s Berlin Fellowship last June. Their plan for moving forward was sparked by a conversation with German students who are active in remembrance work in Berlin.