Emmett Till Interpretive Center

This amazing piece of property is steps away from the Sumner courthouse, and we all know what it's known for. When I think about '55--

My paternal great-grandfather worked here then, living his humble grocer's life, a Chinese liaison bridging Black and White tensions, lending to his Black customers until they could get paid from the cotton work.

It was a rotten, hard filled with racism. And now it's the interpretive center. The space was rather large, clean, sparse.

The photos and his grocery sign and all of the sad memory that is commemorated here-- set and opened with the intention of starting dialogue of racial reconciliation.

It was one of the most sobering moments of my life. The kind young man working here told me that my jin was very good to him and his family as he grew up, and he told me some stories of being a kid and buying snacks here. He let me walk every inch of the place, trying to imagine my relatives living in the rear of their store.

I aim to head back for a visit, whenever it is "safe" to.

I went to the center based on an interview done on Soledad Matter of Fact. I wanted to have a conversation about race and next steps to support support equity. The Center's news paper articles were overwhelming as well as very informative. Thank you to the Center for taking the time to have an in-depth conversation.

This organization is wonderful. The Courthouse and the Interpretive Center are stark reminders of the violence that Black Americans have faced in this nation. No trip to Mississippi is complete without a sober look at what transpired in this area back in the 1950s. And this Center makes it clear that the murder and trial were key sparks that caused the flame of Civil Rights to burn brightly in the South.

A few years ago, as my students and I were reading through To Kill a Mockingbird, I mentioned the story of Emmett Till, and to my dismay, none of my students were familiar with it. We lived less than an hour away from Money, MS--and they didn't know who Emmett Till was! I made it my mission in life to educate them about this pivotal Civil Rights case. We took a field trip through the beautiful cotton fields into the heartland of the MS Delta. A police escort was waiting for us at the Glendora exit and led us into town. We had a wonderful catered lunch at the home-turned-B & B of a legendary Blues musician, and then a police escort over to the Interpretive Center Museum. It is a beautiful, haunting, state-of-the-art building, and all of my students walked in spellbound, sober silence through it. We were treated so graciously. We then drove over to the (now-closed) store where Emmett *supposedly* whistled at the white lady. My students still talk about it. I think it left an impression on them that they will never forget.