For Immediate Release: August 9, 2022

Emmett Till’s Family’s Statement on the Mississippi Grand Jury Declining to Charge Mrs. Carolyn Bryant Donham for Role in Emmett Till’s Lynching

(Chicago, IL) — Reverend Wheeler Parker, Jr., Emmett Till's cousin and best friend, and last living witness to Till's abduction in 1955, released the following statement after a grand jury in Mississippi declined to charge Mrs. Carolyn Bryant Donham for her role in the 1955 lynching.  

“The state of Mississippi assured me and my family that they would leave no stone unturned in the fight for justice for my cousin, Emmett. They kept their promise by bringing this latest piece of evidence before the grand jury. This outcome is unfortunate, but predictable, news. The prosecutor tried his best, and we appreciate his efforts, but he alone cannot undo hundreds of years of anti-Black systems that guaranteed those who killed Emmett Till would go unpunished, to this day.

“The fact remains that the people who abducted, tortured, and murdered Emmett did so in plain sight, and our American justice system was and continues to be set up in such a way that they could not be brought to justice for their heinous crimes.

“No family should ever have to endure this pain for this long. Going forward, we must keep the details, and memory, of the brutal murder of Emmett Till, and the courage of Mamie Mobley, alive, so that we can reduce racial violence, improve our system of justice, and treat each other with the dignity and respect with which Mrs. Mobley graced us all.”

Reverend Parker has cooperated with the government investigation at various stages, first between 2004 and 2006 and then again between 2017 and the present day. The grand jury was brought together to consider whether probable cause existed to indict Donham.

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The Emmett Till and Mamie Till-Mobley Institute, a non-profit organization, is engaged in education, research and social justice advocacy. We are dedicated to preserving the memory and historical significance of the life and death of Emmett Louis Till, and preserving the social action legacy of his mother, Mamie Till-Mobley, to foster educational opportunities and civic engagement among youth. Our focus is on funding research, education and public programs aimed at encouraging enlightened participation in the democratic process and working to build and maintain a civil society.