Emmett: Legacy, Redemption and Forgiveness

“So help me God, until my dying day, I’m going to be fighting this thing. I’m not going to be fighting color. I’m not going to be fighting creed. I’m not going to be fighting anyone’s belief, so long as it’s a safe and sound one, so long as it doesn’t reach out and destroy me or destroy someone else. . . . We should stand up, we should make a stand once and for all, we should say that we’re going to live as men and women.” (Excerpt, Mamie’s 2nd speaking engagement in South Bend, IN, following the trial in Money, MS , OCT 1955—Hudson-Weems, Emmett Till: Sacrificial Lamb of the Civil Rights Movement, 1994, p. 240) The fervent prayers of Till’s mother, Mamie Till Mobley, for everlasting justice and transcendent mercy have been finally answered through this gripping narrative by Dr. Clenora Hudson-Weems. Emmett speaks eternal truth to power. —Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis Jr.—President and CEO National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA) Truly we have witnessed it all. We have seen the anger, felt the pain, endured the violence. From submissiveness, to rebellion, to assimilation, at last Emmett’s story and Whitten’s redemption bring true heroes and iconic models for us all. —Aubrey Bruce—Senior Sports Columnist New Pittsburgh Courier In Emmett, Clenora gives us all that we need to advance to positive 21st. century race relations, which could greatly curtail racial domination thus, escalating to racial healing. A cause célèbre, coming on the heels of The Butler, 12 Years a Slave and Selma, Emmett no doubt is both timely and urgent! —Barry Morrow—Oscar Award Winning Co-Writer of Rain Man and Producer