Emmett Louis Till (July 25, 1941 – August 28, 1955) was an Black teenager who was murdered in Mississippi at the age of 14, after reportedly flirting with a 21 year old white woman.
The facts of what took place in the store are still disputed but according to several versions, including allegations from some of the kids standing outside the store when Till walked in,[22] Till may have wolf-whistled at Bryant.[23] A newspaper account following his disappearance stated that Till sometimes whistled to alleviate his stuttering.[24] His speech was sometimes unclear; his mother said he had particular difficulty with pronouncing "b" sounds, and may have whistled to overcome problems asking for bubble gum.[25] According to other stories, Till may have grabbed Bryant's hand and asked her for a date, or said "Bye, baby" as he left the store,[12] or "You needn't be afraid of me, baby, I've been with white women before."[26]
Bryant testified during the murder trial that Till had made sexual advances and asked her for a date.[27] In her testimony, Bryant alleged that Till grabbed her hand while she was stocking candy and said, "How about a date, baby?"[27] She said that after she freed herself from his grasp, the young man followed her to the cash register,[27] grabbed her waist and said, "What's the matter baby, can't you take it?"[27] Bryant then allegedly freed herself, and Till told her, "You needn't be afraid of me, baby,"[27] used "one 'unprintable' word"[27] and said "I've been with white women before."[27] Bryant also alleged that one of Till's companions came into the store, grabbed him by the arm and ordered him to leave.[27]
The 21 year old white woman
Till's cousin, Simeon Wright, writing about the incident decades later, challenged Carolyn Bryant's account.[28] Entering the store "less than a minute" after Till was left inside alone with Bryant,[28] Wright saw no inappropriate behavior and heard "no lecherous conversation."[28] Wright said Till "paid for his items and we left the store together."[28] The FBI also noted in their 2006 investigation of the incident that a second anonymous source, who was confirmed to have been in the store at the same time as Till and his cousin, backed this claim as well.[21]
The 14 year old Black Youth
The killers
The results
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