Emmett Till Academy
The purpose of the Emmett Till Academy is to teach students about the civil rights movement and racial justice today in the Mississippi Delta and the U.S. through educational activities, field trips, and service learning. Learning at the Academy will begin a process of acknowledging the legacy of Emmett Till’s murder in Sunflower County.
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Rev. Jesse Jackson describes Emmett Till as “the big bang of the Civil Rights Movement.” Emmett Till was 14 years old when he was murdered in a barn in Sunflower County, Mississippi in 1955. Three days after his murder, his body was found in the Tallahatchie River in Tallahatchie County.
There are currently no markers in Sunflower County acknowledging the county’s role in his murder. Sunflower County was intentionally written out of the Emmett Till narrative due to white supremacy and the false narrative of his murder told by the murderers. The creation of an Emmett Till Academy is an opportunity to write Sunflower County back into the story and to begin a local truth-telling process similar to what was done in Tallahatchie County 10 years ago.
34% of Sunflower County residents live at or below the poverty line, and 74% of the county is African American. There is a powerful need for educational programming grounded in local history, African American history, and racial equity.
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Youth attend a 12-week course which consist of civil rights history lessons that connect the history to racial issues today; field trips around the Delta, state of Mississippi, and Memphis; arts programming; and a service project. The course puts into context what preceded the murder of Emmett Till, including local African American organizing efforts in the 1940s and 1950s—and the events that followed his 1955 murder.
Youth take tours and trips in Mississippi and out of Mississippi to broaden their understanding of the impact of Emmett Till’s murder and the civil rights movement on the nation.
Each young person who completes the program will earn a certificate of completion.
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Youth Are:
encouraged to build connections between their lives, local history, and racism.
inspired to tell the history of their own Delta communities and the state.
taught the importance of and techniques for advocating for racial and social equity and justice.
engaged in activities that support racial healing.
Emmett Till Academy 2021-2022
Gloria Dickerson, CEO of We 2gether Creating Change, Inc., and Shirley D. Moore Program Director for the Emmett Till Academy in Drew, MS have worked collaboratively for the past 12 weeks to teach and motivate students of the Emmett Till Academy to develop an interest in implementing change through civil right laws and policy.
In a world filled with political unrest and racial inequality, it is necessary to encourage our youth to take on leadership roles as community activists. The slogan, “Say Their Name” is more than just a hashtag; rather, it serves as a cry for justice and speaks to the injustice
And need for social change in the world around us. This slogan has gained the attention of diverse audiences around the globe.
As the students at the Emmett Till Academy in Drew, MS explored truth in understanding the circumstances surrounding the death of Emmett Till, they feel compelled to raise the name of the 14-year-old teen who traveled south from Chicago, Illinois to visit his family in Money, MS. He was brutally beaten and murdered at the hands of white racist brothers after being accused of whistling at the wife of one of the brothers.
Students at the Academy deem it necessary to add Emmett Till’s name to the list of those who have been murdered due to racial attacks by police officers. The slogan has a dynamo effect in the world and now at the academy; in that, students have raised awareness to the injustices of the death of Emmett Till who was murdered at the Shurden barn located in the Drew, MS. To simply “Say His Name” is just one way that we at the Academy honor the legacy of Till. Our goal is to create young leaders and empower them with the necessary tools and information that will empower them to speak out for change, justice, and equality.
Like, so many others, Emmett Till is a life gone too soon. We want to always remember the cruel, raw, brutal, and dehumanized attacks on black people in America. We at The Emmett Till Academy have ignited a force with our students; the torch has been passed onward and they are now warriors of change. They are committed to staying on the journey for change and they will always honor those who have lost their lives to racial injustice.
“Just Say His Name”: Emmett Till!
Civil Rights Museum Tour
The Emmett Till Academy has been a great experience that will lead students to many possibilities. We have traveled through the Mississippi Delta on a Civil Rights Tour with The Real Delta Tours, owned and operated by Abe Hudson. We have also traveled to Selma and Montgomery, Alabama to visit the Civil Rights Museum. This was an experience that had the impact of awakening and raising awareness within students. This trip helped them to understand the need for stronger and more powerful young leaders.
Guest Speakers
Dr. Ralph Eubanks
Several guest speakers have helped to enlightened students with knowledge and wisdom that will further strengthen their drive as they become trailblazers on a mission of social justice and equality. Dr. Ralph Eubanks’ visit focused on strategies, pointers, and tips for doing a “good” oral interview. He also shared the importance of collecting oral histories. Dr. Eubanks reminded students that information that is collected should be archived. When history is recorded from different aspects, each individual account makes the information even more authentic.
Dr. Lonnie Edwards, Chairman of the Ethics Committee, Stone Mountain, Georgia
Dr. Lonnie Edwards, of Stone Mountain, Georgia visited the academy and left a great impression upon the hearts of students. He furthered elaborated on the death of Emmett Till as he shared from the topic “Emmett Till’s Life: A Divine Mission of Social Change and Human Progress!” Dr. Edwards spoke with enthusiasm as he shared “The ABC’s of Achieving Your Dreams,” and emphasized the popular phrase spoke by President Barack Obama “Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.”
Dr. Edwards’ speech ended with these words, “May your journey find you in motion.” He enjoyed lunch and personal conversations with the staff and students.
Film & Movie Training by Professor Alonzo White, MVSU
Students experienced two training sessions on creating a movie commercial. They used storyboards to create and design a commercial of their favorite product. They visited the B.B. King Studio at MVSU, an experience that helped to motivate and encourage students to be “camera-ready” at all times. It was an opportunity to get one-on-one help with interns that were patient and knowledgeable of equipment and specified applications that helped bring students’ creative pieces to life as we all watched their work on the screen. All videos/commercial clips were archived at the academy.
To Washington, D.C. We Go
Students will participate in the final civil rights tour in May 2022. The students will receive their $1000.00 stipend in May and on May 30, 2022, they will visit Washington, D.C. where they will enjoy learning and fun at the various museums and attractions.
RACIAL EQUITY
We believe that racial healing and racial equity are necessary if we are going to accomplish our mission to be a change agent in the transformation of poor and low income communities from perceived places of poverty, low skills, and despair to places of prosperity, abundant skills, and hope. If we are to inspire people in low income communities to create good lives and vibrant healthy communities and if all people, in places where we work, are happy, whole, and healthy, our work must include efforts to dismantle racial inequities that limit opportunities and hold some low income families back.