At Burr Oak Cemetery, the words rose together: “Say his name! – Emmett Till!”
Family, friends, and community members gathered Thursday at the Alsip cemetery to mark the 70th anniversary of Emmett Till’s murder. The chant was both remembrance and resistance, a promise to never let his story be forgotten.
Reverend Mama Joy Sigur-Ramza began with a prayer that lifted up the faith and resilience of Emmett’s mother, Mamie Till-Mobley. She spoke of a mother who endured racism, terror, and hatred, yet never let it break her spirit:
“She endured racism, she endured terror, she endured the hatred, and still walked with dignity and trust in the Almighty.”
Her words urged the crowd to walk in the same courage Mamie embodied. She reminded everyone that Emmett’s death, and his mother’s response, were not only personal tragedies but a turning point that shook the conscience of the nation.
Harmony Palmore, a fourth-generation member of the Emmett Till Players, raised her voice in the hymn Precious Lord, Take My Hand. Her singing was achingly beautiful, carrying across the cemetery: “Precious Lord, take my hand, lead me on, let me stand.”
Speakers reminded everyone of Mamie’s extraordinary courage when her 14-year-old son’s body was returned from Mississippi. Faced with the horror of his mutilation, she refused silence: “No, let America see what I see, open the casket.”
That act exposed the brutality of racial violence to the world and helped ignite the civil rights movement.
Tammy Gibson, co-chair of Friends of Burr Oak Cemetery, reflected on Emmett as more than a symbol – he was a teenager with a bright future.
Mamie’s decision to reveal his body, Gibson said, turned her grief into a national reckoning.
Poet Deronda Powellmore read verses describing the violence Emmett endured and declaring that, 70 years later, his voice still cries out for justice.
Family members recalled Mamie’s conviction: “This is why Emmett was born, he had to be the sacrificial lamb, to open the wound and let the world see.”
They also drew connections between her grief and the suffering of families today who continue to lose children to violence.
Toward the close, community resident Violet Roberts stood, visibly moved. With tears in her eyes, she explained why remembrance matters:
“I think it’s important to be here like this because there are too many people taking time to erase history and to rewrite history.” Roberts added. “One thing I taught my kids: a person dies twice – once when they draw their last breath, and the second time, the last time someone says your name. This is important.”
Emmett’s remains will be moved with the blessings of the family to a mausoleum alongside his mother’s. Ensuring they will remain together at the front of Burr Oak Cemetery.
Summit’s Rev. Wheeler Parker, Emmett’s cousin and the last person to see him before he was murdered, and his wife, Dr. Marvel Parker, took a train to Mississippi to take part in memorial services.
Parker said it was the same trip he and Emmett took 70 years ago as they headed to Mississippi to spend the summer vacation with relatives.