74 years ago today, Emmett Louis Till was born in Chicago, Illinois

Civil rights icon Emmett Till, a Black 14-year-old that was brutally murdered in Mississippi in 1955, would have turned 74 today. As retaliation for allegedly flirting with a white woman, the woman’s husband and his half-brother were acquitted of the crime, but later confessed their guilt, however, the law on double jeopardy prevented them from being tried again.

Till’s horrific death became a powerful symbol for the civil rights movement. Today the same issues of racism are embedded in society that were present 74 years ago, showing not much has changed. With incidences such as the murders of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown and Tamir Rice, all of which were young Black males, Till’s legacy is still relevant today.


His story should not be forgotten as we combat present issues of white supremacy, police brutality and the execution of Black lives all over the world. Let Emmett Till’s life be a lesson to us all that hate will not bring about change.

-Infinite Wiz(@InfiniteWiz)