Emmett Till Posthumously Awarded Congressional Gold Medal
January 12, 2022 11:31AM CST

Emmett Louis Till (AP Photo, File)
The Senate is honoring Emmett Till and his mother. Lawmakers yesterday passed legislation that would posthumously award the Chicago boy and Mamie Till-Mobley with the Congressional Gold Medal, the United States Congress’s highest civilian honor. The 14-year-old was kidnapped, beaten, and brutally murdered in Mississippi by white supremacists in 1955. His mother brought his body back to Chicago and demanded an open casket funeral. Till-Mobley allowed a photograph of Till to be taken in his casket, which galvanized civil rights activists.