Emmett Till Lynching Gun Unveiled for Public Display 70 Years After Tragic Murder

The .45-caliber pistol used in the brutal 1955 lynching of 14-year-old Emmett Till is now on public display at the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum. The significant historical artifact was unveiled during a news conference on Thursday, coinciding with the 70th anniversary of Till’s murder, a pivotal event that galvanized the American Civil Rights Movement.

The weapon belonged to John William “J.W.” Milam, who, alongside Roy Bryant, abducted and murdered Till after the teenager was accused of whistling at a white woman in a rural Mississippi grocery store. Despite being charged, Bryant and Milam were infamously acquitted by an all-white-male jury.

Authenticated via a serial number matching FBI reports, the gun was recently donated anonymously by a family in the Mississippi Delta. Its inclusion in the Emmett Till exhibit aims to prompt reflection on the enduring impact of Till’s story. Michael Morris, director of the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum, emphasized this legacy, stating, “It’s not just his death. It’s the way that he still finds a way to inspire folks to be the change that they want to see in the world.” Till’s mother, Mamie Till Mobley, famously insisted on an open-casket funeral, forcing the nation to confront the horrific reality of racial violence.

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