Emmett Till Conference Begins Tomorrow

Many people have asked if the conference on"The Murder of Emmett Till and the Struggle for Civil Rights," is still being held despite Katrina. Yes it is. Details are below:

The Murder of Emmett Till and the Struggle for Civil Rights, Stillman College, Tuscaloosa, Alabama, September 15-17, 2005.

The murder of Emmett Till and the trial of his accused killers were turning points in the history of the civil rights movement. These events have fascinated historians as well as filmmakers, journalists, literary critics, song writers, and novelists. Most recently, the federal government has reopened the case. This

conference will be held at Stillman College, a historical black college founded in 1876. It will mark the fiftieth anniversary of the murder, investigation, and trial, as well as explore the broader effects on American society. The last day of the conference will feature an optional guided tour of key sites in Mississippi including Money (where Till was kidnapped), Sumner (where the accused killers were tried), and Mound Bayou (where Till's mother and the black media stayed during the trial).

Speakers include Wheeler Parker, a cousin of Emmett Till who was present when he was kidnapped, John Herbers a journalist who covered the trial, Charles Payne, author of I've Got the Light of Freedom: The Organizing Tradition and the Mississippi Freedom Struggle; Christopher Benson, co-author (with Mamie Till-Mobley) of The Death of Innocence: The Hate Crime that Changed America; and Christopher Metress, author of The Lynching of Emmett Till.Papers and panels will discuss the murder, trial, and investigation as well as their impact on the civil rights movement, literature, film, journalism, and criminal justice.

For a complete schedule and registration information, see

http://www.stillman.edu/stillman/whatscurrent/Emmett%20Till/emmetttillreg.asp

For a conference brochure, see

http://www.stillman.edu/stillman/news/publicrelations/emmit%20till%20conf.%20rsvd.july19.pdf

or contact Linda Royster Beito, Chair, Social Sciences, Stillman College, Tuscaloosa, AL 35401, lbeito@stillman.edu, Phone: 205-366-8984.