Emmett Till rally for justice

JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) -It was the summer of 1955 when 14-year-old Emmett Till traveled from Chicago to Mississippi to visit family members.

Till was accused of whistling at Carolyn Bryant Donham at their family grocery store. Till’s loved ones say he was later murdered because of Bryant’s accusations.

“She told them something, and the something that she told them led to bludgeon and the murder of Emmitt Till,” said Executive Director of Human Rights Jaribu Hill.

In December of last year, the Department of Justice closed Till’s case because of the lack of evidence.

Priscilla Sterling, a cousin of Emmitt Till, has been fighting to get Till’s case re-opened.

“I believe political influence is the reason why Carolyn Bryant never has been charged,” said Sterling.

Friday, the family presented hundreds of thousands of signatures to the state to request that a murder sentence be handed down to Bryant-Donham.

They said they will not stop fighting until it happens.

“I’m asking the Justice Department for unredactive FBI report,” said Sterling. “It’s time; it’s been long overdue. It is possible that we get justice we want or the authorities to hear us, to hear our demand, and it’s pretty simple. Charge Carolyn Bryant- Donham as an accomplice in the kidnapping and murder of Emmitt Lewis Till. She is alive; this is not about hate or vengeance. This is about justice.”

Want more WLBT news in your inbox? Click here to subscribe to our newsletter.

Copyright 2022 WLBT. All rights reserved.