It’s been more than 70 years since 14-year-old Emmett Till’s racially motivated murder devastated a nation and helped spark the Civil Rights Movement.
But what if he had lived?
In artist Raymond A. Thomas’ dream, Till celebrates his 15th birthday, marries his high school sweetheart and has three children. He cares for his mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, and grows old in Chicago. He finds joy spending time with his grandchildren, even as the world around him remains unjust for Black residents.
That reality is depicted in Thomas’ mixed media collage, “We Love You Paw Paw,” which is on display in a new show,“From Memory to Movement: Emmett at 85,” at Bronzeville’s Blanc Gallery.
“Our radical joy is a superpower that has kept us from our enslavement to now,” said Thomas, who also curated the exhibit.
The exhibit opened Friday and runs through July 25, when Till would have turned 85. It is presented in partnership with the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley Institute nonprofit, where Thomas serves as creative director. The show features paintings, photographs, sculptures and mixed media works by a dozen Chicago artists. The pieces humanize Till and other Black children, provide commentary on race in America, and spark conversations about present and future struggles for justice.
It is also a commentary on the present-day banning of cultural history books and classes, and the erosion of diversity, equity and inclusion.
“In these times, with the erasure of our history and Black culture at hand, reaffirming our humanity to the world is vital,” Thomas said. “Artists’ voices are what’s needed to carry that further into the people’s consciousness. That’s why this show is not just about creating works for people to acquire, but it’s about the call of action to where we need to be.”
A life cut short by racism
A Chicago native, Till was killed Aug. 28, 1955, amid backlash to racial integration efforts. The previous year, the U.S. Supreme Court outlawed racial segregation in public schools with its Brown v. Board of Education ruling.
While visiting family in Mississippi, Till reportedly whistled at a white woman working at a grocery store. In response, he was kidnapped, beaten, shot and dumped in the Tallahatchie River. His mother, Till-Mobley, ordered an open-casket funeral in Chicago for her son, whose death galvanized civil rights activists.
“Emmett Till, through his mother, was able to show us the horrific face of race hatred on what had been the beautiful face of this inspiring young kid,” said Christopher Benson, a journalism professor at Northwestern University who has written books on Till’s legacy.
Benson also serves on the board of the Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley Institute. The art exhibit is part of the organization’s summer program series, “Emmett Till: The Pursuit of Happiness and American Reckoning,” which coincides with America’s 250th anniversary. The initiative also includes the return of a summer academy on Till.
Young people are eager to learn about racism, despite claims by some parents and government officials, Benson said.
“They have argued that these conversations about our difficult struggle are depressing to kids, and they feel guilty and responsible, and that’s not the case,” he said. “What we saw was a hunger for these conversations.”
Bringing Till to life
In the exhibit, artists encourage dialogue through portrayals of Till. Gerald Griffin’s acrylic painting, “Every Time We Rise,” is a portrait of the teen dripping wet, as if he had emerged from the river. His clay sculpture, presented under the same title, shows Till sitting atop an American flag and the cotton gin fan that was tied around his neck to weigh his body down in the water.
“All of these elements are meant to suppress and diminish not only this kid but who we are as people,” said Griffin, who also wrote a poem for the show. “He’s risen above these attempts to destroy his memory and, in turn, destroy our memory and our identity.”
Paul Branton’s acrylic painting also depicts the cotton gin fan but transformed into playground equipment to convey Black Americans’ longstanding pattern of overcoming obstacles.
“I turned it into an object that children can play on that became harmless, something that became useful rather than destructive,” said the Beverly artist.
Several artists in the show said they felt connected to Till’s story, not only as Black people, but as Chicagoans with southern roots. Candace Hunter even grew up near Woodlawn’s McCosh Elementary School, which Till attended.
“There was not a child in our neighborhood who did not feel the effect of this boy’s death for decades,” said Hunter, whose mixed media piece, “Emmett’s Last Night/Eternal Night,” shows the reflection of the Tallahatchie River in Till’s funeral suit.
One of the show’s most abstract pieces is John Caleb Pendleton’s “Tallahatchie Chiffarobe,” a closet-like structure built with poplar, lotus pods, brunia and found objects.
“[Till] is the skeleton in America’s closet,” said Pendleton, of Bridgeport, who also owns Planks & Pistils floral studio.
Though he described the exhibit as “hopeful,” Pendleton said he wants visitors to remember the harm done to Till and other youth today.
“We really need to do our best to protect Black boys,” he said. “I hope people can leave the show and start to see Black boys differently. They deserve softness and tenderness and play and joy, too.”