Trump Administration Targets Monuments Honoring Emmett Till: A Step Backward for Civil Rights

At Graball Landing along the Tallahatchie River, near Glendora, Mississippi, the site where Emmett Till’s brutally beaten body was discovered 70 years ago has seen numerous efforts to establish a memorial commemorating that tragic moment in history which profoundly influenced America. Author Wright Thompson recounts in his book *The Barn* that the first sign, donated by Morgan Freeman, was stolen and discarded into the river just six months after its installation. The second sign endured 317 bullet shots over eight years, and a third was vandalized by fraternity members. “Installing a bulletproof sign to honor Emmett Till was necessary,” Thompson noted. Currently, these memorials, alongside others, face threats from a recent Trump administration directive that could allow the revocation of protections for historical landmarks. Areas like the Tallahatchie County Courthouse, where Till’s killers were acquitted, are similarly endangered. Historian Alan Spears advocates for safeguarding these sites to ensure that Till’s devastating story is neither forgotten nor repeated.