Western Courier

Issue date: 11/20/09 Section: News

(Left-Right) Darwin Fishman, Roberta Di Carmine, Oswald Warner and Christopher Benson sit before an audience during the panel discussion on Wednesday, Nov. 18. John Otis Casey/courier staff

The real Emmett Till was a personable 14-year old boy who loved pranks. His murder in 1955 - allegedly for whistling at a young white woman -served as an important catalyst for Civil Rights Movement. Over the years, however, Till has also become the stuff of legend.

Separating the facts from the fiction in the life and death of Till was the theme panel discussion Wednesday that featured Christopher Benson, who co-authored "Death of Innocence: The Story of the Hate Crime That Changed America" with Mamie Till-Moblet, Till's mother.

Benson, an award winning journalist and associate professor at University of Illinois, was joined by panelists Peter Cole, associate professor of history; Oswald Warner, associate professor of sociology and anthropology; Roberta Di Carmine, assistant professor of English and journalism; Darwin Fishman, assistant professor of African American studies and moderator Janice Welsh, English and journalism Emeritus for a discussion entitled, "The Critical Look at the Untold Story of Emmett Till."

Panelists and the audience began the presentation by viewing a new documentary, "The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till," in the Sandburg Theater in the University Union.

The commentary and analysis of the documentary led to a discussion into how Till's death was a seminal event in American history.

"His death was very important in the boost to the Civil Rights Movement," Welsh said.

Benson also discussed how this documentary is the third one made about Till and how much history is re-opened because of it, such as some of the Civil Rights murders. Benson said that a lot of the time was spent on whether or not those murders should be reopened.

The film explores the mythology surroundings Till's murder. There have been tales about how his clothes were burned in the middle of the night by a bonfire and how he was castrated.

Benson doesn't know where those stories came from because neither of them are true, a reminder of how the media can influence the conveyance of information.

"Emmett carried himself with so much confidence it was contagious, when Rosa Parks stood up to the white man on the bus she later told Emmett's mother that when she did that she was sick and tired of it and was thinking of Emmett at that time," Benson said.

Di Carmine explained how she thought Emmett's mother's voice in the documentary is a strong one.

"The mother being the storyteller expressing the love for her son becomes another element to the story," Di Carmine said.

If you don't know much about Emmett Till, the documentary does a very good job of telling his story.

"It's not just an abstract history, it's connected to your life," Cole said.

The documentary celebrates his life and brings the crime and the investigation in the past and present to light.

"I applaud you all for attending because Emmett Till is important to look at and discuss," Warner said.

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