A strong and moving piece, a compelling read. Until I studied Emmett Till's case, he was but a stranger to me. I was always familiar with Rosa Parks and took the time to truly study and understand Martin Luther King’s contribution to the Civil Rights Movement. This piece encompasses several elements that set apart the movement and expresses the true nature of things in an era that ushered in so many changes.
After watching the film and reading the poem on Emmett Till I have been given a clearer vision of what it was like during the 50s in an America that was intolerant of its colored citizens. I have always felt this cosmic connection to the 50s. To me, it is one of the most powerful eras. So many things were happening at that time. But as I research the Civil Rights Movement I realize just how much was happening. It is unfortunate that any mother would lose their child in that manner, or that any group of people would be left to live under such fearful conditions. But their day came. Emmett’s mother showed great strength to do what she did, to expose the living conditions of the South, especially those being experienced in Mississippi, by revealing to the world the lifeless body that was once her son. Her son may have paid the price of ignorance and hatred, but his death ignited the movement that sparked the emergence of some of the most well known Historical figures of all time. Rosa Parks’ refusal to give up her seat on the bus took place December of 1955, the same year Emmett Till was murdered in cold blood (he died in August of that year). After being arrested for sitting in the seat of her choice, she decided she had had enough of this unjust treatment. And thus from this was born the Montgomery Bus Boycott and what breathed life into the Civil Rights Movement. If Rosa Parks is seen as “the Mother of the Modern-day Civil Rights Movement,” then it is only fair to say that Martin Luther King Jr. at the young age of 26 had become in 1955 the Father of the Modern-day Civil Rights Movement. Elected president of the Montgomery Improvement Association, on the 5th of December he became the official spokesman for the boycott. Wise beyond his years and known for his eloquence, he stepped into the position with a lot of heart and little certainty. But a family isn’t complete without the pitter-patter of little feet. And that role belonged to none other than Emmett Till, the Son of the Modern-day Civil Rights Movement. In August of 1955, Mamie Till wasn’t the only one to lose a son that year. We, as individuals, as a people, and as a nation had lost a son. A son we may never have known existed till word of his untimely death had reached us. A son we were never really there for. A son we hoped to offer the world to. In 1955 an entire group of people had reached their limit and decided that enough was enough. With Emmett Till’s death came the birth of the Civil Rights Movement.
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Nicely Done
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