CHICAGO – Today, Governor JB Pritzker joined legislators and community members at Roberts Temple Church of God in Christ to sign HB 4323, officially designating July 25 as Emmett Till Day in Illinois. In 1955 at this Bronzeville church, Mamie Till-Mobley held a public, open-casket funeral for her 14-year-old son after he was brutally lynched and killed by two white men in Mississippi. Till’s murder galvanized the Civil Rights Movement in the United States, igniting a national reckoning with racism and violence.
Emmett Till was born in Chicago on July 25, 1941. He grew up in Summit, and later on the city’s South Side, raised by his mother and grandmother and surrounded by a community of family and friends. His life and legacy are honored in many ways throughout Illinois – memorialized in scholarships for local youth, the names of roads and community centers, and nationally recognized monuments across the state. In 2023, Roberts Temple was made a national landmark by President Joe Biden.
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“In Illinois, we understand that we cannot build a more just future if we are unwilling to confront the injustices of our past,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “This legislation ensures that Emmett Till and his mother Mamie Till-Mobley will never be forgotten, their legacy will continue to challenge us to be better, and their example will continue to inspire us to build a state and a nation that lives up to its highest ideals.”
“Emmett Till’s life and Mamie Till-Mobley’s courage forever changed our nation. By officially recognizing Emmett Till Day, we honor their enduring legacy and recommit ourselves to the work of justice, truth, and equality,” said Lieutenant Governor Juliana Stratton. “Remembering our history is essential to building a future where every person can live with dignity, safety, and opportunity.”
“More than 70 years ago, Mamie Till-Mobley made the courageous decision to hold an open-casket funeral, forcing the world to see the brutality and gravity of a hate crime at the time. She did so despite the unimaginable grief of losing a child,” said Attorney General Kwame Raoul. “The commemoration of Emmett Till Day in Illinois reminds us that we must not allow hate crimes directed toward Black people to be normalized. We must carry on the legacy of Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley by fighting ongoing hate crimes and attacks on civil rights.”
More than 50,000 people attended Till’s funeral in Chicago, which was photographed by the Chicago Defender and Jet Magazine. The coverage activated an entire generation, turning their grief and outrage into action and making way for the Montgomery Bus Boycott and the protests of the burgeoning Civil Rights Movement.
In Chicago, Illinois labor unions mobilized to demand justice for Till. The United Packinghouse Workers of America (UPWA), a multiracial labor union based in Chicago, led the way with marches and rallies to condemn Till’s murder. The UPWA hosted Mamie Till-Mobley's first public address at their South Side meeting hall, two days after her son was buried. They made donations to cover Till’s funeral costs, sent representatives down to Mississippi where his murderers were on trial, and contributed legal funds to support prosecutors. The UPWA’s campaign bolstered their work to protect Black families in Chicago’s housing projects from white mob violence.
“Today is a bittersweet day — bitter because it reminds us of Emmett Till’s unjust murder and the failure of our justice system to hold those responsible accountable,” said State Rep. Kimberly du Buclet (D-Chicago). “Yet it is also a hopeful day because this legislation ensures that future generations will continue learning Emmett Till’s story through educational programming and public remembrance. By confronting the truth about our past, we can build a more just future.”
“Emmett Till’s legacy represents both the pain and power of our history and the ongoing fight for racial justice,” said State Senator Elgie R. Sims, Jr. (D-Chicago). “As we teach our children and grandchildren about Emmett Till, let July 25 serve as an opportunity to remember our truth, demand justice and find strength in his life, story and memory.”
“Emmett Till’s story is a painful chapter in our nation’s history, but it is one we must continue to remember and teach,” said State Senator Mattie Hunter (D-Chicago). “By recognizing Emmett Till Day, we honor his life, the courage of his mother Mamie Till-Mobley, and the generations of advocates who have fought for justice and equality.”
Emmett Till’s story is part of Illinois’ story. Governor Pritzker believes that the State has a responsibility to not only remember his life and legacy, but to protect Black history from erasure by those in power, denounce attempts to disenfranchise communities across the U.S., and strive to make Illinois the best state for every person to call home.
