MEDIA ADVISORY: MU to Host Emmett Till’s Relatives and Eyewitnesses of Murder

Till’s murder helped spark Civil Rights Movement

Story Contact(s):
Christian Basi, BasiC@missouri.edu, 573-882-4430

WHAT:  The University of Missouri will welcome Simeon Wright and Wheeler Parker, Jr., on Wednesday, April 27 to discuss the events leading to the murder of their relative, Emmett Till, as well as the trial and Civil Rights Movement.

At the age of 14, Till was brutally murdered in Mississippi in 1955 after reportedly flirting with a white woman. Two men were charged and later admitted to the murder, but were acquitted by an all-white jury. Due to gruesome photos and the resulting press coverage, Till’s murder is considered a major event leading to the Civil Rights Movement. 

Wright and Parker witnessed the initial interaction with a young white woman that ultimately led to Till’s death and will give their first-hand account of the events surrounding the murder.

WHO:  Sponsored by the Legion of Black Collegians, the Missouri Students Association, the Residential Halls Association, the MU history department and One Mizzou.

This event is free and open to the public.

WHERE:  Ballroom – Columns Room C, Reynolds Alumni Center, MU Campus

WHEN:  8 p.m, Wednesday, April 27