Injustice

We stopped at the Emmett Till ‘market’ in Money, Mississippi and it was very emotional for me. Visiting this historical place and knowing that what happened at this market between Till and a white woman led to the horrific death of a 14 year-old boy, was tear-jerking. The market was abandoned and run-down which I had not expected. I thought that it would be used as a memorial site, one that you could walk in and around, learning more of this dreadful incident, rather than what I saw. However, there was a building next to the market to help commemorate Emmett Till and the great injustice he face.

That's the main reason I cried; injustice. There was a sign outside the market where Emmett Till was said to have whistled at Carolyn Bryant. The sign gave information on the case of Roy Bryant, husband of Carolyn, and J.W. Milam, brother-in-law of Carolyn, and Emmett Till. The jury in the trial was all white and all male. The part that upset me the most was discovering that it only took them 67 minutes to declare these two men not guilty; it would have been shorter, but they stopped for a soda break. Reading this helped me understand that white people during this time took the life of a black person as a joke. The Emmett Till market was very helpful in informing about the missing pieces I had of this tragic story. I appreciate this Civil Rights Trip so much. Thank you to everyone who made it possible.

Ariel Keene

12^th grade, City College