Mamie Elizabeth Till

About

American educator and activist who became known as she was the mother of Emmett Till. After the murder of her son, she became a public speaker and activist, working closely with the NAACP. She and her son were posthumously awarded a Congressional Gold Medal which was put on display at the Museum of African American History. She died of heart failure in 2003, and the monument dedicated to her says "Her pain united a nation."

Before Fame

Her family moved from the south to the north of the United States during what is known in history as the Great Migration. Following her parent's divorce when she was 13, she focused heavily on academics and was the first African American student to make the honor roll at Argo Community High School.

Trivia

She attended Chicago State University and then Loyola University in Chicago for her master's degree in educational administration. Her decision to display her son's body at an open-casket funeral called attention to racism in the United States and the injustice of the legal system for acquitting his violent murderers. 

Family Life

Her father was Nash Carthan and her mother was Alma Carthan. Her brother's name was John. She had three husbands over the course of her life, Louis Till, who fathered Emmett, Pink Bradley, and Gene Mobley. 

Associated With

A film titled Till centered around her and her family was announced by Whoopi Goldberg in 2015 and released in theaters in 2022. She has been portrayed by Adrienne Warren in the television series Women of the Movement.