Emmett Till Interpretive Center
Emmett Till Interpretive Center
5
About
The Emmett Till Interpretive Center was formed to confront the brutal truth of the 1955 murder of 14-year-old Emmett Till in the Mississippi Delta and to seek justice for the Till family and Delta community. The Center aims to tell the story of Emmett Till and his mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, as an act of restorative justice to create the conditions necessary to begin the process of racial healing in Mississippi and across the nation. The Center works to foster a community and society that embraces truth telling as the crucial first step toward racial healing.
Duration: 2-3 hours
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
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5.0
31 reviews
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27
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4
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Kate
Boston, MA70 contributions
Jul 2024 • Solo
I visited on a Saturday before the interpretive center opened, so I will have to mail in and ask for a passport stamp, but all of the plaques and the information provided throughout the town painted this beautiful and historic picture of this young man that lost his life.
I would highly suggest going to the courthouse and then taking the short drive down to Graball Landing to see where his body was speculated to be found.
Tons of plaques, along the way to highlight the towns history and what exactly happened
I would highly suggest going to the courthouse and then taking the short drive down to Graball Landing to see where his body was speculated to be found.
Tons of plaques, along the way to highlight the towns history and what exactly happened
Written July 6, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Julie W
Darlington12 contributions
Nov 2023 • Friends
A place, places, that hit you harder than any book ever could, with the truth, the reality of that beautiful boys final journey. The story of Emmett Till, is one that should, must never be forgotten.
For decades I've been intrigued, compelled to know more of his story, these places gave me more information, more of an insight into the events that changed America. The boy, who's brutal death, changed America.
The young lady we spoke with in the centre, sadly I forget her name just now, was informative, friendly, knowledgeable and left me feeling that, they are not trying in any way, to ' sugar coat ' the painful reality of what happened to Emmett Till, but to show its truth and pain, as it must be shown. A visit, a day, of places that will I feel, haunt me forever.
For decades I've been intrigued, compelled to know more of his story, these places gave me more information, more of an insight into the events that changed America. The boy, who's brutal death, changed America.
The young lady we spoke with in the centre, sadly I forget her name just now, was informative, friendly, knowledgeable and left me feeling that, they are not trying in any way, to ' sugar coat ' the painful reality of what happened to Emmett Till, but to show its truth and pain, as it must be shown. A visit, a day, of places that will I feel, haunt me forever.
Written November 8, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
RaCeDaPa
Da Lat, Vietnam50 contributions
Apr 2023
This is a MUST if you are travelling in the Mississippi Delta. The interpretive center tells the story of Emmett Till, a 14 year old boy who was brutally tortured and murdered in 1955 for allegedly whistling at a white woman. While racial murders of this type were common in the deep south, this time there was a trial and some brave peoplee stood up, In a way it was the first Black Live Matters movement. Of course justice was not served, and the center is located across the street from the court house where kangaroo court set the murderers free. The Center offers a moving interpretation in the court room when it is available. Our guide Venita was great and led a discussion on the history and how things are developing today. This is an absolute MUST for anyone interested in civil rights then and now. Its sad that similar cases are happening today (e.g. Kansas City, Akron, Minneapolis, you name it).
Written April 25, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Tim W
Kirksville, MO97 contributions
Mar 2023
Educational site that raises awareness to injustices of our legal system that were perpetuated during the civil rights era. Seeing the courthouse really makes you think. The displays in the center provide details about the court case and document correspondences and media related to the trial of Emmett Till.
Written March 17, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
MLSOBG
Madison, WI98 contributions
Mar 2023 • Friends
My husband and I, along with a good friend of ours, were in the early days of 10-day Civil Rights tour of our own design. We had tried to do our homework and make meaningful choices for how to spend our time. Knowing that such events as the murder of Emmett Till had catalyzed the Civil Rights movement, we wanted to visit salient stops, and the Emmett Till Interpretive Center in Sumner, MS was on our list. We made an appointment ahead of time, as requested (no charge) and we entered the center, where we were able to view the timeline of events along with photos, documents and even outside opinion letters from citizens about the trial. After that began the real visit.
Ben, our tour leader, led us across the street to the Tallahatchie County Courthouse, where we were able to sit alone with him and discuss …many things. Ben asked why we had chosen to visit, and after hearing about our trip, he dispensed with his “usual” reading of the Apology of the Community for the murder of Emmett Till and the injustice for how it was handled that he usually does with larger tour groups. Instead, we were treated to one of the most interesting, honest, gracious and frank discussions that we could have ever hoped for. He told us about the history of the Center, the history of the area since the events of Emmett Till, what has gone well, and what work still needs to be done. He is positive without sugar-coating, gracious without letting us off the hook. And our visit will remain a very memorable part of our tour. Please include this stop if you are in the area; it is a gem and book some time with Ben!
Ben, our tour leader, led us across the street to the Tallahatchie County Courthouse, where we were able to sit alone with him and discuss …many things. Ben asked why we had chosen to visit, and after hearing about our trip, he dispensed with his “usual” reading of the Apology of the Community for the murder of Emmett Till and the injustice for how it was handled that he usually does with larger tour groups. Instead, we were treated to one of the most interesting, honest, gracious and frank discussions that we could have ever hoped for. He told us about the history of the Center, the history of the area since the events of Emmett Till, what has gone well, and what work still needs to be done. He is positive without sugar-coating, gracious without letting us off the hook. And our visit will remain a very memorable part of our tour. Please include this stop if you are in the area; it is a gem and book some time with Ben!
Written March 10, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Holly R
Chapel Hill, NC1,019 contributions
Mar 2020
The New York Times and NPR have both reported on the Emmett Till Interpretative Trail, which is a series of sites linked to the murder of 14 year-old Emmett Till in 1955. The Center, located in Sumner, across from the Courthouse where the trial of the two men responsible for the murder took place, has a small but informative display of news paper accounts and photos from the trial. You can also arrange in advance to meet a member of their team who can discuss the reconciliation work the Center is doing within the community and the mission of the Center. We met with Benjamin, who was both informative and a warm and welcoming person.
The Interpretative Trail, which includes the funeral home in Tutwiler, the ruins of Bryant Grocery Store in Money, the Courthouse in Sumner, the area on River Road where TIll's body was found and the shed in Glendora where he was murdered, are all places for contemplation and to bear witness to a history that is still being contested in Mississippi --- and in other parts of the country as well. It was also a way to see rural Mississippi and to get a sense of the distances the men traveled to terrorize this young boy. A lot of hatred.
We worked with Jesse, one of the members of the Reconciliation Committee, who went with us to a number of the sites on the Trail. There is a mobile app that you can use, but I found it really helpful to have an informed community person who could both talk about the work at the Center as well as guide us to the various sites, most of which are off the beaten path. You can contact the Center for information on guides -- there is a fee for their time -- but we were glad to have someone with us. The Bryant Grocery Store in Money seems to get the most attention, perhaps because it is the easiest to find. When we got there there was a large tour bus there as well, but we were the only people at the other places we stopped at. The brutal murder of Emmett Till and his mother's efforts to tell the world about it (As someone in 1955 said, Sumner is not America, it is Mississippi) Emmett Till changed that and was an important trigger for the Civil Rights Movement that followed. It is said that when Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a Montgomery street car she was thinking of Emmett Till.
The Interpretative Trail, which includes the funeral home in Tutwiler, the ruins of Bryant Grocery Store in Money, the Courthouse in Sumner, the area on River Road where TIll's body was found and the shed in Glendora where he was murdered, are all places for contemplation and to bear witness to a history that is still being contested in Mississippi --- and in other parts of the country as well. It was also a way to see rural Mississippi and to get a sense of the distances the men traveled to terrorize this young boy. A lot of hatred.
We worked with Jesse, one of the members of the Reconciliation Committee, who went with us to a number of the sites on the Trail. There is a mobile app that you can use, but I found it really helpful to have an informed community person who could both talk about the work at the Center as well as guide us to the various sites, most of which are off the beaten path. You can contact the Center for information on guides -- there is a fee for their time -- but we were glad to have someone with us. The Bryant Grocery Store in Money seems to get the most attention, perhaps because it is the easiest to find. When we got there there was a large tour bus there as well, but we were the only people at the other places we stopped at. The brutal murder of Emmett Till and his mother's efforts to tell the world about it (As someone in 1955 said, Sumner is not America, it is Mississippi) Emmett Till changed that and was an important trigger for the Civil Rights Movement that followed. It is said that when Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a Montgomery street car she was thinking of Emmett Till.
Written April 11, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Pittsburgh_cyclist
Pittsburgh, PA572 contributions
Nov 2019 • Couples
The museum is across the road from the courthouse where Emmett Till’s murderers were acquitted. It’s still disturbing to see the site where such injustice was done.
Written November 1, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Sally N
New York City40 contributions
Oct 2019
Visiting this place is a must for all Americans and anybody who is interested in the history of this country. This small but fascinating Interpretive Center across the road from the Sumner Courthouse, tells the story of the shameful travesty of justice that was the trial of the men who abducted, tortured and slaughtered young Emmett Till. But much more than that, the Nonprofit that has stewardship of the site continues the quest for truth, reconciliation and justice in the Sumner community, as well as in greater Mississippi - long considered ground zero in the Civil Rights era and the State that Martin Luther King Jr described as “sweltering in the heat of injustice”. The Center’s mission is to educate, inform and engage people in learning about this terrible event and why the events of summer 1955 still resonate today. If you think that this was all in the past, then consider that volunteer Benjamin told us that many people who visit the Center and the Courthouse, have lived in the area all their lives and have never heard of Emmett Till until relatively recently. Moreover, the marker plaque on the site where Emmett’s body was found in the Tallahatchie river has been regularly defaced and peppered with gunshot. Earlier this year, three white students from Ole Miss posted a picture on social media, depicting them in front of the bullet holes on the plaque, toting guns and grinning for the camera. Many of their friends ‘“liked’ the posts without even knowing who Emmett Till was.The Emmett Till Interpretive Center’s response has been to raise funds for a new, bullet-proof marker - to be dedicated this weekend - and to stage community events to discuss the issue, including one at Ole Miss itself. Some years ago, the Center held an event on the anniversary of Emmett’s murder, whereby the community of Sumner formally apologized to Emmett’s relatives for their failure to protect Emmett, or to bring his killers to justice - a wonderful act of healing and reconciliation.
This is a wonderful place with a wonderful mission, deserving of all our attention. The drive out through Delta cotton fields and big skies is awesome.
This is a wonderful place with a wonderful mission, deserving of all our attention. The drive out through Delta cotton fields and big skies is awesome.
Written October 18, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
MargieWhoTravels
Houston, TX12 contributions
Jul 2019 • Friends
The horror of Emmett Till’s abduction, torture, and murder is addressed in great detail in this interpretive center. And it’s done using mostly the information that was available at the time. What people actually knew at the time — including how many prospective white jurors were excluded because of their open admissions of racial bigotry, and because many had contributed to the defense costs of the two white men who, after being acquitted, sold their stories about what they’d done to Look Magazine for $4,000. Benjamin was the guide/curator on duty when we visited, and was incredibly well-informed. The photos show where the child’s body was found. Note the bullet-ridden sign.
Written July 5, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Mary M
4 contributions
May 2019 • Couples
I left exhibit grateful for the courage of Emmett’s mother. She was a strong woman who changed history. I cannot imagine her pain and sadness but she used her tragedy to mobilize people to demand a better world. We all need this courage moving forward.
Written May 15, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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