Emmett Till historical marker goes missing in Mississippi
MONEY, Miss. (WLBT/Gray News) - The Emmett Till historical marker in front of Bryant’s Grocery is missing, according to a Thursday tweet from the Emmett Till Interpretive Center, WLBT reported.
“It appears to have been hit by a vehicle and removed,” the tweet stated.
Over the years, multiple historical markers put up to honor the slain teen have been stolen, lost or vandalized.
In 2019, a fourth marker was dedicated in Glendora, at the site where Till’s body was recovered, to replace one that had been riddled with bullet holes. The sign it replaced is currently on display at the U.S. History Museum.
Before that, three other markers at the site also had been vandalized.
“The signs dedicated to the memory of Emmett Till have been stolen, thrown in the river, replaced, shot, defaced with acid, and spray painted with the letters ‘KKK,” the interpretive center wrote. “It is hard to understand how it can be so difficult to honor the memory of a murdered child - even today.”
The Emmett Till Interpretive Center hasn’t yet responded to press inquiries.
The news comes days after the 66th anniversary of the murder of Till.
On Aug. 28, 1955, the 14-year-old Black teenager from Chicago was abducted from his uncle’s home near Greenwood and killed for allegedly making sexual advances to a white woman.
Three days later, Till’s body was found in the Tallahatchie River. His body was returned to Chicago, where his mother insisted on a public funeral, with an open casket, to expose to the world the horrors that were afflicted on her young son.
Till’s death helped spark the civil rights movement.
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