Statue Honoring Emmett Till's Mother Unveiled at Illinois Alma Mater

Mamie Till-Mobley (Credit: Getty Images)

By: Adonis Armstrong

On April 29th, 2023, a statue honoring Mamie Till-Mobley, the mother of Emmett Till, was unveiled at her alma mater, the Argo Community High School in Chicago, Illinois. The statue, which depicts Till-Mobley holding a photo of her son, serves as a powerful reminder of her unwavering strength and courage in the face of immense tragedy.

Mamie Till-Mobley was the mother of Emmett Till, a 14-year-old African American boy who was brutally lynched in 1955 after allegedly whistling at a white woman while visiting family in Mississippi. Till-Mobley's decision to hold an open casket funeral for her son, which allowed the world to see the horrific brutality of his murder, helped galvanize the Civil Rights Movement and brought national attention to the issue of racial violence and discrimination.

Unveiling of the Mamie Till-Mobley and Emmett Till Memorial Walkway pic.twitter.com/DDQKKCs8aO

— Argo Community HS (@argohs217) April 30, 2023

Argo Community High School unveiled an 850-pound sculpture by Sonja Henderson, who began working on it in 2021. The sculpture depicts Till-Mobley giving a speech at a Civil Rights event, standing at a podium and reading from a piece of paper with a picture of her son in front. The front of the podium features wise words inscribed by Mamie Till-Moble, 'We are only given a certain amount of time to do what we were sent here to do. You don’t have to be around a long time to share the wisdom of a lifetime. There is no time to waste.”

The unveiling ceremony was attended by a diverse group of people, including members of Till-Mobley's family, Civil Rights activists, and community leaders. The statue is expected to become a symbol of hope and resilience for generations to come, inspiring people to remember the sacrifices of those who came before them and to continue fighting for justice and equality for all.

The unveiling of the statue comes at a time of heightened racial tensions in the United States, with incidents of police brutality and hate crimes against minorities continuing to make headlines. The statue serves as a reminder that while progress has been made, there is still much work to be done to achieve true equality and justice for all.

The statue of Mamie Till-Mobley is a powerful tribute to a remarkable woman who turned her grief into action and inspired a movement. It serves as a reminder of the work that still needs to be done to achieve true equality and justice, and as an inspiration to future generations to continue fighting for a better world.

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