Emmett Till images have multigenerational impact on artists

By Aaron Morrison | The Associated Press Residents of Baltimore gather during the community’s response to the 2015 in-custody death of Freddie Gray. The photo is part of a collection called “the Impact of Images” collection curated by Lead With Love, in collaboration with the studio and production company behind the film “Till.” (Devin Allen via AP) (AP) – Devin Allen admits that he occasionally behaved like a knucklehead, growing up in Baltimore. But he was not so irreverent as a tenth grader that he could see an image of Emmett Till’s open casket and not find it arresting. The story of the 14-year-old Black boy who was lynched in Mississippi became widely known because his mother,& Mamie Till-Mobley, asked a press photographer to document Emmett’s funeral. The horrifying 1955 photographs depicted tangible evidence of how violent racial hatred was plaguing the U.S., catalyzing the civil rights movement. “Back then, I was like, ‘Wow, that happened so long ago. It would never happen now,’” Allen said, recalling the first time a high school history teacher showed him the images. Yet, roughly 10 years later, Allen himself would capture searing images of protests and civil unrest in Baltimore after the 2015...