Emmett Till, mother are focus of new Muncie exhibition

Emmett Till's murder put the focus on racial hatred in America. (Provided Photo/TNS/ABACA/Reuters via CNN)

A Muncie museum will open an exhibit that highlights the legacy of a 14-year-old African American boy from Chicago whose brutal 1955 lynching in Mississippi, after being accused of offending a white woman, galvanized the American Civil Rights Movement.

The Minnetrista Museum & Gardens will unveil the exhibition “Emmett Till & Mamie Till-Mobley: Let the World See” from Jan. 24 to April 12.

The exhibition focuses on the murder of Till in 1955, which shocked the nation and highlighted the brutal realities of racial hatred. His mother, Till-Mobley, played a crucial role in advocating for justice after her son’s death and her push for visibility regarding the event contributed to a significant cultural reckoning in America.

Sebastián Encina, the director of curation and exhibition at Minnetrista, said in statement: “Till’s story is not distant history — it continues to shape the world we live in. This exhibition asks visitors to sit with the reality of what happened, to understand the courage of Till-Mobley, and to recognize how memory, truth and responsibility are deeply connected.”

The Till and Till-Mobley Institute, the Till Interpretive Center, the Till family, and The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis created the exhibition.

Admission to the museum is $8 for adults and $6 for ages 4-12 from Blackford, Delaware, Grant, Jay, Randolph, Henry and Madison counties. Nonresident admission is $15 for adults and $12 for ages 4-12. The museum’s winter hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays-Saturdays and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays.

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