Death of Innocence: The Story of the Hate Crime That Changed America.

Till-Mobley, Mamie and Benson, Christopher. Death of Innocence: The Story of the Hate Crime That Changed America. New York: Random House, 2003.

      "We cannot afford the luxury of self-pity. Our top priority now
      is to get on with the building process."
      Mamie Till-Mobley

Death of Innocence, written by Mamie Till-Mobley and Christopher Benson, details the events surrounding her son-Emmett Till's, murder. The book portrays the emotional and political condition of America throughout the Civil Rights Movement era. Mrs. Till-Mobley puts the murder and the subsequent trial in a greater context, showing the role those events had in inspiring participation, particularly by the younger generation, to the Civil Rights Movement.

One of the most evident contrasts of the book is that although it intends to tell "the story of the hate crime that changed America," the story is really divided into two parts which depict America before and after Emmett Till's death. The first part is a detailed account of the numerous loving relationships that encompassed both Mamie and Emmett's lives. The backdrop to the hateful acts of Emmett's perpetrators is the loving Chicago community in which he grew up--a community filled with friends and family members who understood that those very relationships were the key to their survival. It was a community of playgrounds, and mud holes filled with rainwater that were just as alluring as wading pools when transformed by youthful imaginations. It was a community of familial neighbors who waited on their porches at 8:59 each night for their children to return home to meet the 9:00 PM curfew. It was a time filled with celebrations; one so wonderful that Mamie Till-Mobely described it as a "perfect light that you see sometimes just before darkness falls."

Powerful memories of Mamie and Emmett's last days together mark the transition of the story's focus from life in Chicago to the details of the events surrounding Emmett's death. Those memories reveal Mamie's guilt about allowing Emmett to visit Mississippi in spite of her own misgivings. For days before his trip she tried urgently to help Emmett to understand all the cruel conventions of race relations between southern blacks and whites. She reminded him of her generation's Mississippi "cautionary tale":

       "... a black woman who brought her little girl to work with her
       when she cleaned, cooked, and did laundry for a white family in
       the South. The little girl became a playmate of the daughter of
       this white family. One day something happened that upset the
       little white girl and she ran to her daddy as he came down the
       drive after work. The man listened to his daughter, then
       confronted the little black girl, and became so angry with her
       that he pushed her hard against a tree. Just slammed her. Now,
       that girl's mother had to finish her day's work before she could
       even look after her daughter, who was left there writhing in pain
       the rest of the day. Eventually, the little girl died from her
       injuries" (19).

Emmett was also impressed upon by others who warned him about the differences between Chicago and Mississippi. One of his cousins even refused to join Emmett on his journey stating, "He couldn't get past all the things he had heard about the South. He didn't want to go." Nothing shook Emmett's excitement and belief that everything would be fine. In those reflective passages Mamie reveals her understanding that it was impossible to "give a crash course in hatred to a boy who [had] only known love."

On August 20, 1955 Emmett boarded the City of New Orleans train to make his fateful trip to a place very different from the world that had become so familiar to him. Mamie Till-Mobley described Mississippi as a "mirror image of the rest of the world. Normal at a glance, until you realized it was all completely backward." The Mississippi that Emmett visited during the last summer of his life was filled with fear and hatred. Mississippi politicians were engaged in a concerted effort to intimidate black citizens and keep them from acting on the Supreme Court ruling that "separate was not equal." In an effort to preserve the racist southern traditions, white politicians went to extreme lengths to prevent blacks from exercising their right to vote or to engage in any activity that might give voice to the idea that the right to vote even existed for blacks. During the election in the previous year in the predominately black Mound Bayou County the ballots had been thrown away. Mamie recalls the routine "black listing" of potential black voters who often lost their jobs, homes, and even their lives. She recalls the murder of a black Mississippi farmer, Lamar Smith, who was active in the voter registration movement. He was killed in broad daylight, but none of the many witnesses could supply any details about his killers. His death, which was only one of many such deaths, occurred only a few weeks before Emmett arrived in Mississippi. Although Mamie had done her best to prepare Emmett for the realities of Mississippi life, she states that ironically, she had not done enough to prepare herself.

The details of Emmett's death evolved over a long period of time and amid much confusion. The disturbing facts are revealed within the context of Mamie's suffering, the world's shock, and the perpetrators "reign of terror." The most comprehensive version of the facts reports that Emmett had gone into a local store owned by Roy Bryant. On that day, his wife Carolyn was working. Emmett's friends and cousins who were with him reported hearing Emmett whistle. It isn't clear if Emmett was whistling as a joke, or in response to getting "stuck on a word" (he had a stuttering problem), or in response to a move in a checkers game that was being played on the porch. In any event Carolyn Bryant felt that she had been offended by Emmett and communicated that to her husband. Her account of the offense would become more embellished over time. Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam, along with several others (including two black men) later abducted Emmett from his uncle's home and within days his dead and mutilated body was recovered from the Tallihatchie River. A gin fan was tied around his neck with barbed wire.

The two murderers, Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam, were given tremendous support, and there was a great effort on the part of their supporters (including politicians, judges and other high ranking law enforcement officials) to distort the facts of the case and further terrorize Emmett's family and the local black community. Mamie describes several events following Emmett's death that exposed the "full measure of human cruelty." One such event occurred during the period of time in which Mamie awaited news about the disappearance of her son. During the first few days she had very little information and had only been told that he had been taken from his uncle's home by white men. She had not given up hope that he had somehow gotten away, when she received information that Emmett was coming home. However, none of the attorneys or police working on the case had received similar information. This news that gave Mamie a temporary and false sense of relief had been a malicious attempt to deceive.

Mamie Till-Mobley detailed numerous ways racists throughout the country attempted to continue to victimize her and her supporters for years to come. The details lend support to the fact that the perpetrators were not just the two murderers, but many individuals who acted, so as to justify the growing and collective cruelty. In fact, Mamie explains in the following passage why she came to view Emmett's death as a "lynching" as opposed to a murder:

        "When it comes to a lynching, it is not just the actual killers
        who are guilty. It is the dominant culture, the entire society
        that permits such a thing, that encourages it. Bryant and Milam
        [Emmett's killers] were not the only guilty parties in the
        lynching of my son. Witnesses have pointed to at least six or
        seven people. But, in a way, there were so many thousands more.
        People who were responsible, powerful, influential. People who
        could have chosen to lead, and chose instead to incite. People
        who could have condemned hate crimes and chose instead to
        condone them. People who could have come clean, and chose
        instead to live the rest of their lives with blood on their
        hands" (215).

One such event occurred after Emmett's body was found and identified by his uncle. Mamie had great difficulty in securing Emmett's remains because the sheriff of Tallihatchie County attempted to have the body buried in Mississippi as soon as possible; however, efforts on the part of Mamie and her family prevented that from happening. Yet, when the body did arrive in Chicago, the undertaker had been forced to sign papers preventing him from opening the sealed box that carried Emmett's body. Mamie was relentless in spite of her deteriorating emotional state, and eventually convinced the undertaker to let her view her son's remains. Beyond the appearance of Emmett's body--the odor, the mutilation, the displaced organs, the bloating--beyond all that lay yet another level to the bottomless depth of inhumanity. Lime had been poured over his body to speed of the deterioration process and to increase the difficulty of identifying him at all. Mamie writes, "We just did not have the vocabulary to describe the horror we saw, or the dread we felt in seeing it. Emmett's murderers had devised a form of brutality that not only was beyond measure, it was beyond words" (142).

Even in the courtroom during the trial of Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam there was a greater attempt to intimidate and mock Emmett's supporters than there was to make sure that justice prevailed. The courtroom itself was segregated and such a strong attempt was made to suppress evidence that most of the prosecution's team, witnesses, and even reporters recognized that by showing up in court, they were literally risking their lives. Most of those who were empathetic to the prosecution's case had to stay an hour outside of Tallihatchie County for their own safety, and some of the key witnesses for the prosecution disappeared. Nevertheless, the cry was heard and supported throughout the world and those seeking justice courageously let their voices be heard. Well known figures who spoke out in many different and powerful ways against the injustice in Mississippi included, author and Mississippi native, William Falkner; actress, Josephine Baker who led a protest in France; and Congressman Charles Diggs, Medgar Evers, Roy Wilkins, and A. Phillip Randolph who all organized rallies, raised funds and were essential to building the case against Emmett's killers,

Mamie emphasizes the important role the media played in making sure the world knew about the circumstances of Emmett's murder. She describes a defiant moment during the trial when Emmett's uncle, "Papa Mose," testified and identified the two killers by pointing them out in the courtroom. Picture taking in the courtroom had been restricted, but photographer, Ernest Withers, understood the importance of preserving that moment--"... with hope, with patience, and a steady hand," he secured a visual representation of one of the most importance moments in the life of the Civil Rights Movement. This single act defied centuries of Mississippi mores and inspired Civil Rights activists for years to come.

In spite of the disappearance of some key witnesses and other such blatant injustices during the trial, the prosecution was able to present a strong case against Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam. The defense presented ridiculous and inflammatory arguments that were nothing more than an attempt to defame the character of Emmett and his family and justify the murder of a "black boy" who violated the social conventions of the racist south. One of the defense arguments purported that Emmett's mother had killed him in order to collect money from an insurance policy. Another widely accepted claim among the defense supporters was that the body could not be identified as the body of Emmett Till, and therefore no case could be built against the killers who admitted to kidnapping him, but maintained that they had released him while he was still alive. In the end the juror only considered one factor before acquitting Roy Bryant and J.W. Milam of the murder of Emmett Till. Mamie states, "The jurors heard one thing that was important to them, and that was a white woman's claim that a black boy had insulted her. That was all they needed to know ... it was all they would consider in making up their minds." The Chicago Sun-Times summarized the events in Mississippi in three words: "shameful, evil wrong."

Speaking in public and sharing Emmett's story and her pain with others became a source of therapy for Mamie Till-Mobley over time. Although she had the support of thousands and the comfort of knowing that Emmett death had mobilized the nation toward the pursuit of justice, the attempts to victimize her continued for many years. There were continuous death threats, and those who pretended to be supporters, but instead used Emmett's name for financial gain. Mamie also felt the burden of other's whose lives had been affected by the trial. Most of her witnesses and supporters in Mississippi were forced to leave; some suffered tremendous financial losses and some suffered the deterioration of their health.

One of Mamie Till-Mobley's strengths as a storyteller is her ability to describe the multifaceted characteristics of the people who impacted her life. She helps the reader to understand their dimensions and intentions. Although she exposes their human weaknesses and flaws, she always shows their greater significance in the context of all that she experienced and later came to understand. In her introduction, Mrs. Till-Mobley states the following about facing Emmett's death:

        "It has taken all these years of quiet reflection to recognize
        the true meaning of my experience, and Emmett's. It took quite a
        while for me to accept how his murder connected to so many
        things that make us what we are today. I didn't see right away,
        but there was an important mission for me, to shape so many
        other young minds as a teacher, a messenger, an active church
        member. God told me, "I took away one child, but I will give
        your thousands ..." (xxii)

Mamie Till-Mobley died in 2003; however, her mission will continue to be realized through every reader of Death of Innocence. For those who have their own memories of Emmett Till and their own stories of how the news of his death affected their lives, Mrs. Till-Mobley's story is perhaps, a balm to the painful realities of the past and a reminder that our historical identity is a part of a great continuum. As Rev. Jesse Jackson states in the foreword, "Mamie turned a crucifixion into a resurrection." Her description of Emmett's life brings tremendous significance to Emmett's death and the death of so many others like him--both known and unknown.

For generations of children and young adults for whom the Emmett Till story is simply a paragraph in a history book, Mrs. Till-Mobley's story is a piercing declaration of the importance of family. The only thing greater than Emmett's impact on others, was the impact of the prayers, hopes, encouragement, love, chastisement and nurturing of his community in shaping his identity. Mamie Till-Mobley's life defies the designations applied to single parents and those who come from impoverished backgrounds by showing the extraordinary way the lives of ordinary people can be affected by love. Her story brings to life the veracity of the biblical passage that states, "Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." She shares the details of her personal confrontation with America's disturbing past in the spirit of love, with the hope that readers will receive it in the same manner.

Pamela Fordham

English Department 

Amherst (NY) Senior High School